


A Life More Ordinary

by Guest238



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad French, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Heavy Metal, Implied Sexual Content, Incest, Intersex, Kissing, Magic, Multi, Oral Fixation, Oral Sex, Other, Polyamory, Progressive Rock, Romance, Rough Understanding of Fashion Design, Singing, Super Sentai, Swallowing, Talking Animals, Threesome, pop culture references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:27:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 125,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29640909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guest238/pseuds/Guest238
Summary: A mystical general escapes the Gotoro Empire to build a new life on a farm outside Pelican Town. Her arrival kicks off a tale of love and lust, friendship and family, magic and mayhem; time will tell if her dreams of an ordinary life are just within, or just out, of her reach.
Relationships: Abigail (Stardew Valley)/Original Character(s), Abigail/Caroline (Stardew Valley), Caroline/Pierre (Stardew Valley), Demetrius/Robin (Stardew Valley), Haley/Maru (Stardew Valley), Haley/Maru (Stardew Valley)/OC, Marnie (Stardew Valley)/Original Character(s), Maru (Stardew Valley)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 5





	1. The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to this creative telling of a Stardew Valley playthrough! I hope you will enjoy reading this story as much as I do writing it. For fans of the game, be warned that I am taking some significant liberties with game canon and mechanics, but hopefully such digressions won't be too distracting. Also, let's be frank: this story features a lot of EXCEPTIONALLY explicit scenes involving characters of various sexual and gender dispositions. I will be tagging things as appropriate, so please check them frequently. If there is any such activity you, the reader, find unappealing, you have my apologies and best wishes.
> 
> By way of a disclaimer, all persons engaging in sexual activity or described in a sexual manner are at least 18 years of age.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Kaylia, the hero; an escape to a new life; memories of an old friend.

Kaylia walked through the halls of the imperial palace towards the audience chambers, silently reviewing the steps of the plan. It required making it through the council session without betraying herself, but decades of training and meditation granted her almost perfect control over her body language, facial expressions, and emotional responses. She was certain Astria and Zoria would still be able to read her like a book, given their specific talents, but Astria would keep to herself as inscrutably as always and Zoria wasn’t here to ask questions. Kaylia was thankful for Z’s absence but lamented the possibility of never being able to see or embrace her favorite sister again. If everything went accordingly, she would attend this meeting, give her reports, provide her insight to the Emperor, likely get into an argument with Vendria, and then leave both the palace and the Empire for good.

Kaylia swept in to the audience chambers, removed her scarlet mask of office, and bowed before His Imperial Majesty Hadrian XII, Emperor of Gotoro, Master of Light and Shadow, Keeper of the Ancient Ways, et cetera et cetera. She was the last of the Bladesisters, Champions of the Empire, to arrive, as was usually the case. Even without her mask, she cut a tall, imposing figure in her ornate battle armor. A snort to her left indicated the usual disapproval from Vendria, as usual, and the remaining Bladesisters were respectively bored, cheerful, and inscrutable, again as usual.

The young emperor (maybe not so young anymore, he was almost 21, after all) nodded his head, a slight smile forming on his lips as he bid Kaylia take her place with an off-handed wave. When she had done so, the Emperor called the meeting to order.

“Let this meeting of the Imperial Council come to order. Be it known that in attendance are:

“Kaylia the Red, the Peerless Tactician, Unmatched General of the Empire;

“Vendria the Blue, the Front Line, Immortal Bulwark of the Empire;

“Thalia the Green, the Unerring Eye, Grand Yeoman of the Empire;

“Rosaria the Yellow, the Golden Herald, Cherished Voice of the Empire;

“Astria the Purple, the Fateweaver, Master Intelligencer of the Empire;

“And Hadrian, some guy they picked up off the street for cheap thrills.”

Kaylia smiled and shook her head, her sisters similarly amused by the Emperor’s complete inability to take himself seriously.

“Be it also known that absent is Zoria the Grey, the Quiet Mask, Faceless Shade of the Empire; and that we wish her speedy return to her Empire and her sisters.”

He waited a moment before proceeding with the meeting, in deference to the missing Bladesister. In truth, Zoria had been on a deep cover assignment in Ferngill for the past three years, and her reports had stopped almost immediately thereafter. Kaylia knew that she would be okay, given Z’s shapeshifting and empathic abilities would allow her to blend in seamlessly anywhere. Kay lost herself in thought remembering that last day together, Z shaping herself to the ridiculous proportions she knew drove Kay wild, drawing multiple orgasms out of each other with only their mouths, making passionate love long into the night, holding each other until it was time for Z to head out. _‘Don’t worry,’_ Z said, her hand over Kay’s heart, _‘we’ll always be together here, no matter what.’_

“…Madame General, what news from the northern isles?”

Kaylia snapped back to the present. She rose and addressed the council, noting Vendria’s complete disinterest.

“The Republic has done an excellent job entrenching whilst our forces were otherwise occupied in Orgoth.” With a wave of her hand, she summoned a holographic model of the island chain, pointing out where the Ferngill Republic (Hated enemies! May they burn in retribution!) had fortified their positions. “They essentially have complete control of the agriculture and industry there, and they’ve been able to reinforce each island they’ve taken and fortify in a startlingly short amount of time.”

“And we can break those defenses down just as quickly if we strike now!” Vendria interrupted, banging the arm of her chair for punctuation. Kaylia rolled her eyes, dismissing the model with another wave.

“A frontal assault would be disastrously expensive, in terms of both troops and materiel, as you well know.”

“I agree.” Vendria smirked at Kaylia’s obvious surprise. “I think you need to send Thalia in with artillery and burn them out. Send the Republic a powerful message about attempting to claim the Empire’s property without sanction. You know, like we used to do.”

The Emperor nodded, considering this course of action. “That seems reasonable, General, if a little bloodthirsty. Despite wanting to end this conflict swiftly, we do have a reputation to maintain, and not answering this clear affront to our sovereignty would send a terrible message both within and without.”

“Indeed.” Rosaria added. “Already, the people in the capital worry about our inaction in this area, and while it’s not difficult to… adjust their thinking with a few words here and there, it may grow into something more troubling without a more definite response.”

Kaylia nodded, having heard the same grumbling from her field command. She turned to Thalia. “Answer that, Thal.”

Thalia, reclining in her seat with one leg draped over the arm, sighed dramatically. “Those islands provide a big chunk of Gotoro’s fresh produce. I go in with the artillery, we have to completely scorch the earth to drive the Republic out, and I mean REALLY scorch it. Enemy troops, prisoners, civilians that didn’t get out in time, buildings, farms, ports, those melons that turn themselves into sorbet when you freeze them; all of it has to burn. We do that, not only have we thrown away a bunch of Imperial lives for the sake of a ‘proper response’, but those islands will never produce a piece of fruit or stalk of grain ever again, and they may be completely useless for years. I mean, who would want to live on a blasted wasteland, anyway.”

“The Artillerist speaks true,” Astria added, unbidden, from behind her mask. Of the Bladesisters, she was the only one to never remove it, even here. “Such a response would necessitate complete eradication to be considered successful. There would be nothing left but bone and ash when her grim work was done.”

“Thanks, I think,” Thalia responded.

“No offense, your majesty, sister,” Kay picked up, turning to the Emperor and Rose, “but I’d prefer to not deprive the Empire of 50% of its food supply. On top of a morale and propaganda nightmare not even your predecessors could turn into a victory, and we know how bloodthirsty they were.”

Rosaria paled with the thought, and the Emperor grimaced. “Well put, General. What would you propose?”

She smiled. This is where her talents really shone.

“We starve them out.”

Vendria’s scorn was immediately apparent. “YOU JUST SAID-“

“They have the farms,” Kaylia said, cutting Vendria off, “but they don’t have access to any processing facilities. Those are on the mainland, of which we have secure control. Their troops may have some farmers amongst them, certainly, and they may be able to harvest some of the crops, but not all of them. We keep them from getting materiel support with a blockade, wait until the food they do have starts to turn, and then we negotiate their surrender when they start getting desperate.”

“I think it’s a waste of time.” Vendria responded, sitting back down in a huff, as the Emperor turned to her.

“If time is all we waste, as it seems according to the General’s analysis, it’s worth considering. Lady Sage,” he said, turning to Astria at his right, “do you have any thoughts?”

“The General seeks to avoid needless loss of life in exchange for a relatively small material loss.” Astria intoned. “In fact, were she successful, I believe it will avoid all loss of life entirely.”

“Sold!” The Emperor said. “General, make it happen.”

“At once, your majesty.” With a thought, Kaylia relayed the commands to her commanders. Having briefed them before the council session, they already knew what would be required, and she was sure the blockade would be in place before the day’s end.

“Excellent. Tomorrow’s prisoner exchange?”

“On schedule, your majesty. Thalia will be there to ensure there are no undue complications.” Kaylia wasn’t sure, but she thought she could hear Astria’s eyebrow raise behind her mask.

“Yeah,” Thalia interjected, “Kay asked me to go so she could ‘monitor the blockade’, like it will need it or something.”

“There is no suspected intrigue, your majesty,” Astria added, “though I wonder if the General is being… overcautious.”

“Scared, more like.”

Kaylia turned to Vendria, her anger matched by the vicious sneer on Ven’s face.

“Excuse me?”

“Here we go.” Thalia adjusted in her seat to get a better look at the brewing fight. Rosaria looked on with worry.

“Is there a problem?” The Emperor asked, his voice wavering between concern and amusement.

“You’re damn right there is!” Vendria jumped to her feet and got right up in Kaylia’s face. Amongst the Bladesisters, only she matched Kaylia in stature and build, her armor a bright cobalt mirror to Kaylia’s crimson. “THIS ONE has been jerking me and my troops around for the past three months without so much as one good scrap worth my time, and I think she’s doing it on purpose!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Kay replied, “I didn’t realize valuing human lives over sating your battle lust was such a problem!”

“Don’t get all high and mighty on me, Miss Priss! We’re at war, the very least you could do is engineer a few decent battles so me and Thal can cut loose!”

“Don’t drag me into this,” Thalia deadpanned, “I’m fine not shooting at people constantly.”

“You’re just weak!” Vendria ignored her sister’s comments. “I think you’re a stuck-up coward that’s afraid of what a defeat in battle will do to your precious reputation!”

“And I think you’re a bloodthirsty bitch who gets off on hurting people!” Kaylia said it before she knew what she was doing, and she could sense Vendria’s rage boiling.

“What did you call me?” Vendria asked quietly.

“I called you,” Kay said, inching closer to Vendria’s face, “a bloodthirsty… sadistic… bitch. What are you going to do about it?”

“Oh Goddess, not again,” Thalia complained. Rosaria’s concern melted away and clapped with excitement. Even the Emperor’s constant smirk widened into a dazzling smile as they awaited what was to come.

Vendria’s eyes narrowed before she took a big step backward and thrust a finger in Kay’s face.

_“Valjean! At last!  
We see each other plain!  
Monsieur le Maire!  
You’ll wear a different chain!”_

A smile briefly flashed on Kay’s face before she regained her composure and responded appropriately.

_“Before you say another word, Javert!  
Before you chain me up like a slave again  
Listen to me, there is something I must do!  
This woman leaves behind a suffering child,  
There are none but me to intercede!  
In mercy’s name, three days are all I need."_

While they clashed constantly, Kay and Ven were still Bladesisters, and they held a deep love and respect for one another despite the vitriol they could sling at one another. Some years ago, when their tempers grew exceptionally hot, they had taken to singing a duet from their favorite stage production both as a means of stress relief and to fight without actually fighting. This usually happened in private, but this was not the first council meeting to spontaneously erupt in an exceptionally hammy performance.

They sang the intricate duet perfectly, as always, their voices filling the hall with melody and harmony as they stalked each other around the room. Musical ability was not one of the magical gifts instilled by the Empire’s wizards when they created the Bladesisters, and this performance was the result of decades of practice. Regardless of how they felt about each other at any moment, this was always an act of love, as the Bladesisters loved one another deeply as the only true family they had ever known.

The Emperor quietly adjourned the meeting at the song’s conclusion, and he departed followed closely by Rosaria, chattering about upcoming festivals, and Astria, silent as ever. Thalia snorted as she passed Kay and Ven, shaking her head. When she was gone, Kay and Ven embraced, kissing passionately. Things between them had never gone further than this, their differences and proclivities too great to allow a more physical relationship to survive, much less thrive, but they would always love and support one another to the end, as they would all their sisters. For all of the conditioning and magical training instilled in them at their creation, the wizards’ greatest failure was not ensuring that their loyalty would be to the Empire. Before all else, they were loyal to each other.

As the kiss subsided, they rested their foreheads against each other’s. “I love you, sister, now and always,” they spoke in unison. They looked in each others eyes and their embrace ended. Vendria shook her head at Kaylia, donned her cobalt mask, and marched out of the room, likely in search of someone to punch.

Alone in the audience chamber, Kay collapsed to her knees, tears flowing as she realized how much she would miss this. She knew deep down that she was doing the right thing, but the reality of leaving her sisters, betraying them, struck just as deeply. She remained in her sadness for a moment, letting it wash over her completely, before wiping her eyes, composing herself, and rising to her feet. If she didn’t leave, nothing would change. It had to be done.

She donned her crimson mask before leaving the room for the last time.

*****

The prisoner exchange had been arranged by Astria at the Emperor’s behest (more likely by Astria’s suggestion, Kaylia thought to herself). 20 Ferngill prisoners for 20 Imperials. Kaylia hoped this would be the start of a more permanent peace, and knew Hadrian would be the man to make it happen. Even with the incredible talents of the Bladesisters at the Empire’s command, the people would suffer terribly if the war continued much longer. For the first time in recorded history, the Emperor was not an arrogant, bloodthirsty tyrant fomenting intrigue in the populace and his own cabinet for sick amusement or in some deranged attempt at social evolution. Hadrian was a forceful leader who demanded complete obedience, but the command was tempered with compassion and wisdom, or so Kaylia believed. If she was right, she might one day be allowed to return; if she was wrong, all the better to leave now.

In truth, there were only 19 Republic prisoners that were ready to be exchanged, selected by Kaylia and Astria from amongst the Empire’s sizable population of POWs. It was trivial for Kaylia to invent one more, to forge the appropriate documents, to slip that soldier’s records into the right hands. Astria had not questioned her late addition to the prisoner exchange, and while that would normally be cause for concern, Kay wrote it off as being squarely in Astria’s one blind spot: she would never suspect her sisters of actively deceiving her. At least, Kay hoped to the Goddess that Astria wouldn’t.

Her disguise also presented no challenge, as the uniform itself was generic and there were plenty of Republic patches and insignia to hand. She was also able to secure the few items she wanted to take with as the new prisoner’s personal belongings, casual inspection of which would turn nothing more than a simple, tarnished gold medallion, a “replica” of the Peerless Tactician’s mask, and a stack of letters, her true exit strategy and the basis of a plan years in the making. She wondered about the wisdom of keeping her armor and mask, but realized she couldn’t bear to part with them.

It was masking her physical appearance that would be the greatest challenge. Her violet skin could be masked to something more humanlike with greasepaint, but it needed constant retouching. She had to cut her long, silver hair far shorter than she was accustomed, leaving her with a short, spiky style that needed a headband to reign in. The headband would also cover the long, graceful tips of her elvish ears, at least for long enough to conceive of a believable explanation for them. She had experimented with hair dye, but none of the products ever took, and had always remained the striking silver that she and her sisters shared. That meant keeping it under a helmet. Neither could anything be done about her eyes, a brilliant shade of crimson that was her true badge of office. Her best hope would be to bandage her face and keep her gaze lowered, much like the thousands of shell-shocked prisoners she had encountered in her lifetime. None of this would be necessary in Ferngill, thank the Goddess, her attributes explained away as a side-effect of Imperial medicine.

After donning the disguise and double-checking that her affects were where they needed to be, Kaylia locked herself in a cell at Capitol Headquarters, alongside 19 other Ferngill Republic soldiers who were no doubt ready to go home. That night, she slept fitfully, dreaming of the life she hoped to build if all this worked.

*****

They were loaded onto a transport ship which sailed to the rendezvous point well north of Imperial waters. The prisoners were to be loaded onto small launches and transferred 5 at a time. Both prisoners and crew were nervous at the presence of an Imperial Bladesister, but many were glad it wasn’t _that_ Bladesister. The Unerring Eye reclined on a railing overlooking the prisoners, perfectly balanced and resplendent in her green armor. She was fiddling with the optics on the longrifle she carried, the task somehow not impeded by her mask, the same emerald as her armor and adorned with stylized stag horns.

 _No plan survives contact with the enemy_ , Kaylia thought to herself as she regarded Thalia upon the railing. If anything could go wrong, it would be Thalia’s supernatural perception kicking in at the wrong time to see through her disguise. She chose Thalia to go in her place specifically because Thal would be bored out of her skull with what was, to her, makework, and Kay had a chance so long as Thal didn’t take it seriously.

Activity on the deck intensified when the Ferngill vessel was sighted. Imperial troops took their positions along the deck, while Thalia remained on the rail, looking as disinterested as could be possible behind a mask. Eventually, the two ships pulled up alongside each other and a gangplank was extended between them. Kay’s heart leapt into her throat as she realized the exchange procedure had changed without her knowledge. Luckily, she wasn’t the only one.

“I thought we were going over in boats?” one of the other prisoners asked aloud.

“Nah,” Thalia responded, startling everyone present. “Too slow, too difficult to monitor. You go over one at a time. Don’t try anything stupid,” she added, patting her longarm lovingly. Kay smiled to herself, of _course_ she would change the plan to make her job easier on her. The ship’s captain ordered the prisoners to line up, and Kay found herself at the end of the line. Thalia cleared her voice and spoke again.

“Ready to go home, I expect?” Thalia said casually. Kay kept her gaze on the deck as the other prisoners murmured affirmative responses. Even though she was the most casual of the Bladesisters, the impersonal visage of the mask and the metallic tone the built-in vocalizer added to her voice made for an intimidating mien. “Yeah, I bet. Look, uh, this really should have been Rosaria here to say this, I’m not really good with… you know, people, but… hold on…” She pulled a sheet of paper from within her armor and unfolded it. “We hope this is the first step towards a more lasting peace, so that the horrors of war may be blah blah blah, look, you get the point.” Thal crumpled the paper and tossed it overboard. “So, uh, yeah. Good luck and everything.”

Representatives from both sides met on the gangplank to confirm procedures, and then an Imperial prisoner was sent over. Once they stepped onto the deck, a Ferngill prisoner was handed their belongings and sent across. Slowly, the prisoner exchange proceeded, and shouts of joy could occasionally be heard as each was repatriated to their own people.

Kay’s nervousness grew as her time to be exchanged approached. She tamped down on her fear and excitement as the second-to-last Ferngill prisoner crossed the gangplank. Kay remained tense as the last Imperial prisoner was sent across the gangplank. When they arrived, the Imperial officer at the gangplank nodded towards her. She was handed her pack and ordered to step forward, when a voice called out from behind her.

“Hold up.”

Kay’s eyes widened, her heart dropping, as Thalia dropped onto the deck and approached. She looked at Thalia before she could stop herself, meeting her sister’s eyes. Those emerald pools sparkled with both sadness and laughter as she embraced Kay, lightly kissing her on the cheek. “Be safe, sister. We all love you, now and always.” she whispered. Before Kay could react, Thal released her, straightened herself up, and turned on her heels, striding back to the wheelhouse. She might have sniffled, but it was difficult to tell.

The soldier nearest her barked an order, and Kay picked up her bag and quickly crossed the gangplank. Stepping foot upon the deck, she was immediately ushered to a medical bay to be checked over. She interrupted what would be a litany of questions with “ **I’m fine.** ”, inflecting a touch of her command talents to really send the message, and she was immediately pronounced in perfect health and ushered off to a bunk.

*****

The journey to Ferngill took a few days, and Kaylia spent her time staring out at the Gem Sea, still on edge but far less so now that she was truly Republic-bound. The other prisoners had been through a lengthy debriefing, and Kay was fairly amused when her turn came. The debriefing team comprised of the ship’s captain, a lieutenant colonel with the Republic Army, and a short woman wearing lieutenant’s bars that clearly wasn’t regular military despite her uniform (intelligence, most likely). Their questions were pretty standard, and she relayed her cover story as she’d rehearsed: she was with the 103rd infantry in one of the landing actions on the northern archipelago (which, thanks to Vendria, had “otherwise” been wiped out to a man during that assault) when she took a direct hit to her head. The injuries were severe, but Imperial medics had kept her alive. As to her skin and hair color, she suspected the nature of Imperial medicine maybe had some effect? She didn’t know for sure, only that she was like that when she eventually came to and the medics promised the effects were only cosmetic. Her memories of the assault and of directly afterward were still very hazy, so she didn’t remember much apart from being told she was being sent home.

Based on their reactions, they bought it whole cloth, even the flimsy explanation about her physical appearance, and Kay finally started to relax. They followed up with a few questions about her family and whom should be contacted, and she replied (again, as rehearsed) that her family had passed in a car accident several years previous, and that her only relative, a grandfather, passed soon after. However, she would appreciate it if they could contact someone in her grandfather’s hometown. The lieutenant piped up, mentioning the town’s name and that they could reach out to the mayor, at least. She thanked them and asked to be dismissed if there were no more questions. The lieutenant coughed, gathering their attention.

“Before you were transferred, the Bladesister hugged you?” Kaylia nodded. “Did she say anything?”

She thought for a moment before responding. “May you be the first of many.”

This seemed to stagger her interviewers, but they quickly regained their composure and dismissed her. She lingered for a moment beyond the door, tuning her senses to pick up their conversation. “I thought the Emerald Stag was emotionless?!” “Do you think they’ve deposed the Emperor?” “It would explain why the Demon wasn’t on that ship, she’s normally always present for these sorts of things.” “We should have heard of something by now if that were the case!” “By Yoba, we need better intel!”

She smirked and stayed for a few moments, amused by the frantic rumor-mongering that ensued. She was thankful for the one real piece of info she gleaned, that the Republic had different names for them. In complete contrast with the Imperial view of Ferngill citizenry as a dull-witted, unimaginative people, she found it hilarious that they referred to the Bladesisters like a _sentai_ team: Emerald Stag, Sapphire Lion, Amethyst Owl, Topaz Cobra, Ruby Demon.

She was a little insulted. She was clearly a Ruby Dragon.

*****

Kaylia returned to her assigned bunk and pulled out the stack of letters from her backpack and started rereading them. She remembered their author, a young Republic sergeant that had been captured some fifty years ago, as though they had just met yesterday. Daniel was brash and defiant, as most captives were at the time, so he was demonstrably surprised at how genial Kaylia had been during his interrogations. From the start, Kaylia warmed to him immediately, and she was relived to notice that Daniel’s mood would visibly improve as his restraints were removed and the guards exited the interrogation room. As the months wore on, Kaylia’s questions became less business-like, and it was clear that both captor and prisoner began to look forward to their conversations.

During his stay, Daniel waxed about his home, his family, and his plans as soon as he escaped from this Imperial hellhole, no offense. Kaylia realized that the life he described, of hard work and loving family, appealed to her much more than it should have. The pretense of being interrogated for useful intelligence had been long discarded, and Daniel was happy to talk about waited for him at home. Upon hearing about Daniel’s wife Kimberly, Kay let slip that she and Daniel had _very_ similar taste in women, which amused Daniel to no end, and he immediately proceeded to share raunchier tales of their love.

*****

She vividly remembered the night their friendship evolved into something more… adult.

“So, she’s leaning naked against the counter as I walk in, and she looks at me and says ‘Those pants look uncomfortable, do you need some help with those?’ “

Kay knew he was telling this story specifically to brag, but the description of Kim and her epic bosom was causing her some discomfort, as his stories usually did, so Kay decided to get back at him.

“One sec, Dan,” she said, standing and unbuckling her pants. Daniel sat up, shocked.

“Uh, w-what are you-…” he asked, fear flashing across his face. Kay smiled and shook her head.

“No, you’re fine, I just need to deal with something.” With that, she dropped her pants to the floor and stepped out of them. Daniel stared wide-eyed at her nakedness, especially at the erect organ that, by rights, shouldn’t have been there. Kay sat back down, spreading her legs slightly to give herself more room, and then began to languidly stroke herself.

“You… You’re…”

“Engineered.” Kay replied, interrupting. “The wizards that created us decided that I should have… special equipment. Given this, my tits, and the fact that I get SUPER horny at the drop of a hat, it goes without saying that they were all giant perverts.”

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. “Sorry, I just thought Bladesister implied being female.”

“I am, I just also have a really nice cock.” Kay smiled as she opened her jacket and swiftly tore open her shirt, revealing a generous pair of breasts which she took in her hands and hoisted. “See? TITS.”

Daniel couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The violet goddess before him had stripped down, revealing epic boobs with sizable areolae and suckable nipples, and was currently jacking a reasonably sized and obviously rock hard dick. He was further stunned to find himself growing aroused at the sight, but thoughts of home steeled him against direct action.

“I, well… those are nice.” Daniel tried to play it off cool, adding, “I mean, they aren’t spectacular.”

Kay laughed, continuing to stroke herself. “Ugh, tell me about it. Especially compared to Kimberly, right? I’d make them bigger if I could, but my sister got that particular talent.”

They both laughed as Kay leaned back in the chair, moaning softly. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed Daniel transfixed by her member.

“What’s the matter, never seen a magically engineered general with a girlcock before?”

“I can’t say that I have,” Daniel replied with a smirk. Kay stopped stroking for a moment and looked Daniel up and down, noticing that he was subconsciously licking his lips.

“You’re welcome to take a closer look.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Daniel moved his chair next to Kaylia’s, leaning over to do just that. Her cock appeared to be about seven inches, maybe an inch, inch-and-a-quarter thick. The head was a darker shade of purple compared to her softer violet skin, almost matching her nipples, but otherwise seemed a normal, albeit very engorged, member. He noticed that she smelled of cinnamon and nutmeg, along with a slightly earthier quality that he couldn’t quite place.

“I take it you’ve never...” Kay began to ask, drawing the question out into a suggestive pause. Daniel shook his head, brushing a strand of brown hair out of his face.

“Never been interested before. I am very much for and about the ladies.”

“But seeing a dick on an otherwise crazy-hot chick has you thinking, doesn’t it?” Daniel blushed deep red knowing he’d been caught out.

Kay smiled and dropped it for the moment. “So, you were saying?” Kay’s question grabbed Daniel’s attention away from her lascivious performance, and he looked up with a sly grin.

“Well, I remember taking my pants off and Kimmy taking me down her throat before they hit the ground.” Kay was glad to see him really start to get into the story. “I’m so glad she gets off on giving head, she’s always begging to take me in her mouth.”

“Goddess, that’s hot,” Kay gasped, speeding up as she neared release. Kay moaned as she looked at Daniel from behind semi-lidded eyes, the fire in them unmistakable as the pleasure built. Time for the important question. “You want to take over? Maybe join me? How long has it been since you’ve had any... release?”

She saw the conflict flash across his face, his obvious arousal battling with what she expected was devotion to his wife. Normally, if she were actually interrogating a suspect, Kay would press harder, as this particular method of testing loyalty worked wonders on more patriotic but otherwise repressed prisoners. This was different, and she felt a little guilty at tempting him. Not that she would turn down a handjob, or more, if he were so inclined.

Eventually, Daniel looked away, biting his lip.

“...what happens if I say no?”

Kay stopped stroking as she regarded the sergeant, maintaining a firm grip on her member. It was a question, alright, and she was well within her rights to demand anything of him. Usually, that question had a lot of anger or fear behind it, but Daniel sounded wistful, almost regretful. That told Kay, finally, everything she needed to know about him, and she knew what his honest response would be.

“Nothing. If you don’t want to, that’s the end of it.” She would normally also describe what would happen if he _did_ want to, but she knew that wouldn’t help any. She got no pleasure out of taking by force, a psychological inclination it took her years to break. Damned sadist wizards.

Daniel closed his eyes and smiled, sadly. “In deference to my wife, I must decline.” When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Kaylia smiling.

“I thought you might. I’m sorry to put you through that, but I had to know where you stood.”

Daniel returned her smile. “Thank you, Gen-...Kay. Full honesty, I’ll probably regret not taking you up on my deathbed.” He looked back at her cock. “You, uh... you need to take care of that?”

“Probably.” Kaylia smirked as she began stroking her length. “The troops get weird when I pop boners in front of them. Would I be out of line asking for some verbal encouragement? It’s not like I’d tell your wife.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I absolutely will, and she would kill me if I didn’t. Besides, I expect I’d benefit from it.” Daniel smiled as he leaned back to whisper in her ear. “Are you close?” he asked. Kay nodded. “I bet you’d love to have my wife jerking off your big girldick, huh?”

“Goddess, yes,” Kay moaned, “You in the habit of loaning your wife out to other men?”

“Other men, no. But you aren’t a man, are you?”

“I most certainly- oh, Goddess- I most certainly am not. I wish she had her hands and lips on me right now.”

“She’d be in heaven,” Daniel continued, “you’re just the right size for her. She’d probably cum herself after sucking on you for just a few seconds. Not that that would stop her from playing with herself as she took you in her hot, wet mouth.” He shifted in his seat as his pants became unbearably uncomfortable. Kay could picture Kimberly kneeling before her, fingering her own pussy as she sucked on Kay’s cock.

He continued as Kay’s pace increased, her moaning more insistent.

“She’d beg you to play with her tits as she sucked you. She’d suck on your balls, too, to make sure you’d have an extra-big load ready. She gets so horny when she gets a huge load to swallow. Then, right when you reach the edge and can’t take it...” Daniel grazed his lips against Kay’s ear.

“What?” Kay begged. “What would she do?”

“...she’d take your beautiful girlcock out of her mouth and feed it to _me.”_

Kay screamed as she exploded, a jet of her cum streaking across the room. She continued to stroke as waves of cum erupted from her cock. Daniel stayed where he was, whispering more encouragement, telling her how much he loved the taste of her cum, how he was instantly addicted to it, how he and Kim would take turns swallowing her copious issue and share it in a searing kiss, how Kay could cum in their mouths or down their throats whenever she wanted.

As Kay’s orgasm declined, she turned to Daniel and laughed. “Goddess, that was good.”

“I’m glad I could be of assistance, General. I take it trying to escape while you ravaged yourself would have been a bad idea?”

“Oh, yeah, you would have been dead before you stepped outside.”

“…thank you for the show.”

“Anytime, cumslut.” They both laughed as Kaylia got back into her pants and regarded the giant mess she’d made of the room. After a moment, she turned to Daniel. “...would you?” she asked, almost timidly.

“Would I what?”

“If she were here, would you want to play?”

Daniel thought before responding. “Honestly? Maybe not right away, but she’d get us both worked up enough that I would definitely be open to it.”

“Good to know.” Kay nodded. A look of terror flashed across his face.

“I mean, you wouldn’t...”

“I’m disgusted you would even think that,” Kay cut him off to his great relief, “I don’t like taking things that don’t belong to me, and that would be a _gross_ misuse of Imperial resources and my authority.”

“Oh, you don’t _like_ taking things that don’t belong to you, you just do it when your Emperor commands it.”

This led to a spirited argument on national authority and the merits of armed action that lasted for another hour. At it’s end, they agreed to disagree on the legitimacy of each other’s claims, and Kay called for the guard to escort Daniel back to his cell. She also asked for a bucket, a mop, and some rags. Common courtesy to leave the interrogation room as it was found, after all.

*****

Daniel’s time in the Empire came to a swift end soon after. He escaped confinement during a shift change one night, aided by one of several insurgent groups that tended to pop up from time to time. Astria had tracked down the perpetrators and the escapee almost immediately, but Kaylia asked that they be monitored rather than arrested; intel on possible threats to state security would be more valuable than stamping out a small cell. Astria concurred without argument. Kay did not tell Astria or the Emperor (Hadrian’s grandfather and utter douchebag Exeleon) that Daniel had left her a message before he escaped, stating what he was planning and leaving his home address if she cared to correspond. She also kept to herself the fact that she had put Daniel in touch with the insurgents and ordered the shift change to enable his escape, though she was pretty sure Astria figured that out anyway.

Their correspondence began almost immediately, the first letter traveling via methods Kay and her sisters had cultivated over the years. Kaylia outlined the method by which Daniel could send responses and described the aftermath of his escape. Daniel confirmed his safe return and had picked up where he had left off with his family’s farm. It wasn’t long before he and Kim welcomed a new addition to their family. He had even convinced Kim to write a few words here and there, which shortly turned into entire letters as she and Kaylia got to know each other better. Kaylia always made the time to respond, the novelty of friends outside of her sisters slowly turning to deep admiration and respect between her and the couple.

The correspondence turned very raunchy after Daniel told Kim about the night Kaylia jerked off in front of him with his enthusiastic assistance. While Kim wasn’t surprised that she inspired “the biggest load I have ever seen”, it did take several letters before she truly believed that Kaylia was so equipped. This immediately led to fantasies about what Kaylia could do with her “beautiful girlcock”. In all of their correspondence, they used that exact phrase whenever referring to her dick. She thought it was hilarious, endearing, and kind of hot, and she caught herself doing the same before long.

Kaylia responded with stories about her and her sister, Zoria, confirming that sex with a shapeshifter is exactly as amazing as it sounds; that Zoria enjoyed having gigantic breasts, possibly more than was healthy; and that their favorite position by far involved Zoria shaping a cock of her own and them sucking each other off, making out with each other’s cum still in their mouths before returning to the torrid 69 to repeat the process. Daniel responded mentioning that Kim orgasmed on the spot after reading that letter and that he, himself, would have loved to join the sisters to share in their oral ministrations. They had pressed on whether she had similar relations with her other sisters, and she demurred, promising they would be way more interested in Z.

The years passed, and the heat died down as it usually does as families grow, ardor fades into contentment, and the march of time progresses. The pace of their correspondence lessened as well, especially after the tear-stained letter describing the tragic car accident that claimed the life of their daughter and her own family, leaving them childless. Kaylia was absolutely gutted for them and reached out as best she could, cursing her inability to help more. Her own responses became delayed as she bounced from one conflict to another, her duties commanding more of her time than she cared for.

Their last few letters came at a time when the war intensified and Kaylia had to argue with the Emperor and her sisters to get any sort of downtime. Daniel especially urged Kaylia to get out, to make a life for herself far away from the battlefields and the pain. The final blow came when Zoria, beloved Zoria, left for Ferngill on a secret mission at the Emperor’s command and would not return. That was when Kaylia started her plans, taking Daniel’s advice to heart. Her last letter to him confirmed that she was taking his advice, that the obstacles were great but not to worry, she was the fucking Peerless Tactician. His last letter to her was brief, to the point, and ended on a note that was both predictably bittersweet and incredibly horny:

_Dear Kaylia,_

_This will likely be our last correspondence, but it will not be the last letter you receive from me. I apologize for being cryptic, but I promised that I would help you however I could, as you did so many years ago for me. If anyone asks, you are my granddaughter. Just go with it._

_Kim has gone on ahead of me to the Great Beyond, and I’m likely to join her very soon. We go happy and secure that it’s our time, and we have never known a more serene peace. Know that you have been our friend, our confidant, and our lover (after a fashion), and we have treasured our time with you._

_Sincerely and with warmest wishes for your continued happiness,_

_Daniel & Kimberly Gardner_

_P.S.: Our only regret is that we never had the opportunity to take your beautiful girlcock in our mouths and make you explode the way you did for me in that interrogation room. I told you I’d regret it!_

True to his word, two weeks later, she received a large manila envelope (addressed to Kaylia Gardner, which nearly brought her to tears on the spot) from a Zuzu City law firm. As she read through the enclosed documents, she realized what Daniel had in mind. They couldn’t help get her out, but they could sure as hell give her somewhere to go. She closed her eyes and pictured their smiling faces, sad that she never got the chance to meet Kim in person but thankful for having them in her life.

She again pictured them later as she furiously pleasured herself, reliving that interrogation and imagining Kimberly also in the room, her tits proudly on display as Daniel described the lewd things his wife would do.

“ _I remember taking my pants off and Kimmy taking me down her throat before they hit the ground. I’m so glad she gets off on giving head, she’s always begging to take me in her mouth.” Kim crawled over on hands and knees to do just that. She licked the length of his cock before taking it to the root, then slowly bobbing her head, moaning with lust._

“ _Goddess, that’s hot,” Kay gasped, getting even harder at the erotic display and speeding up as she neared release. Kay moaned as she looked at Daniel from behind semi-lidded eyes, the fire in them unmistakable as the pleasure built. With a wicked thought, she turned to Kim. “May I?”_

_Kim sat up, removing her husband’s saliva-slick member from her mouth. “Please do.”_

_Kay turned and kissed Daniel passionately, their tongues meeting and swirling around together as she took his cock in her unoccupied hand. He gasped as she broke off their kiss and leaned over to suck him. He tasted amazing, almost as good as Zoria, and she gratefully swallowed the sudden surge of precum, salty and sweet. Daniel leaned back, savoring the feeling of strange lips wrapped around him. Meanwhile, Kim shifted around and began inhaling Kay’s violet cock, her body trembling through a mini orgasm as she greedily swallowed a sudden burst of precum._

“ _She’d beg you to play with her tits as she sucked you,” he mused, almost absentmindedly reaching out to squeeze Kim’s massive orbs. “She’d suck on your balls, too, to make sure you’d have an extra-big load ready.” Kim followed along, taking Kay’s free hand and bringing it to her free breast. Kay stopped her ministrations to kiss Kim deeply before leaning back in the chair._

“ _Then, right when you reach the edge and can’t take it...” Daniel grazed his lips against Kay’s ear as he looked into Kimberly’s eyes. She moaned around Kay’s girlcock, evident that she was also near a powerful orgasm, and she met his gaze, nodding almost imperceptibly._

“ _What?” Kay begged, spurred on by the erotic display. “What would she do?”_

“ _...let us show you_ _.” Kim pulled back as Daniel leaned over, wrapped his lips around Kaylia’s beautiful girlcock, and buried it in his throat._

_With that, the floodgates opened, and Kay, Daniel, and Kimberly all shared a massive orgasm. Kay exploded in Daniel’s mouth, driving him insane with lust and causing him to do likewise as Kay jerked him all over his beautiful wife. With each burst, Daniel and Kim exchanged Kay’s girlcock, Kim stroking as they tried to swallow every drop. The moment seemed to stretch out as the lovers coaxed as much gooey white cum out of each other as possible, each spurt from Kay driving Daniel’s and Kimberly’s orgasms further. They eventually collapsed on the floor and shared a searing three-way kiss, savoring the fruits of their labor with each other in a loving embrace._

Kaylia’s fantasy drove her over the edge, and she angled her cock to get as much of her huge load into her mouth. By the time her massive orgasm faded, she was a complete mess, as covered as she imagined she would have left Dan and Kim. Her cum had never tasted so good.

*****

The ship was welcomed with fanfare and cheering crowds, and as the prisoners debarked, they ran into the arms of their family members, crying with joy and relief. Kaylia smiled at the happy reunions as she walked across the dockyard. She hoped to make her exit without drawing any attention to herself, but hadn’t gone far before she was stopped by a pair of soldiers with MP armbands.

“May we see your discharge orders, Private?”

Kay complied, handing them the sheaf of papers she had been handed shortly before leaving the ship. She felt a small tingle at the back of her spine as the MPs reviewed her documentation. After a tense few moments, they handed the documents back. “Follow us, please.”

On edge, Kaylia followed the soldiers through the military base to the front entrance and out to a large parking lot. A man in a green shirt with yellow tie, overalls, and a flat cap leaned against a beat-up blue pickup truck, and stood up as they approached. The soldiers turned to Kaylia.

“Uh, this isn’t regulation, but we were wondering if you heard anything about a Corporal Freeman over there? Corporal Kent Freeman?”

Kaylia shook her head sadly. “Sorry, I didn’t hear much about other prisoners.” In truth, the Peerless Tactician knew the location and disposition of every prisoner held by the Imperial military, but that knowledge wouldn’t help here.

“Thanks, anyway. We served with him before we got reassigned here. He’s from Pelican, you might want to look his family up.”

Kaylia thanked them as they departed back to the base, then turned to the man she recognized from Daniel’s letters.

“Mayor Lewis? I’m Kaylia Gardner.”

The mayor wasted no time in wrapping her up in a hug. “You sure are! It’s wonderful to finally meet you!” He broke the hug and leaned back. “Wow, let me look at you... Daniel was right, you look so much like her.”

“H-her?” Kaylia asked, hoping the shock didn’t register too clearly on her face.

“Your grandmother! I mean, she didn’t have bright purple skin and her hair didn’t turn silver until much later, but there’s definitely a strong resemblance. Come on, we can talk on the way!” He gestured to the pickup, and Kaylia threw her bag into the back on her way to the passenger’s side.

On the two-hour drive to the Gardner farm outside of Pelican Town, Mayor Lewis Mayer (“...really.” “Yup.” “I’m so sorry.”) regaled Kay with stories of the town and her “grandparents” in their younger days. She loved hearing about the town and the sense of community, though she noticed minor notes of sadness in Lewis’s voice as he talked about the current state of affairs. He didn’t dwell on it long enough for her to determine reasons for it, and he turned to asking questions about her before long. As she answered, describing the backstory she had to answer such questions, she remembered Z’s advice for creating a backstory: _Keep it simple, keep it vague, and stick to city life if you can: cities are much larger and it’s much harder to track someone through them. Worst case, defer and imply there’s some trauma you don’t want to relive by talking about it._ Advice that was paying off, as Lewis opined about staying away from the city (Zuzu, in this case). He went on to describe Pelican town in detail, mentioning the Stardrop Saloon, Pierre’s General Store, the local blacksmith, and the town library. The farm was actually on the way back to town, and the mayor would drop Kaylia off there before heading home himself.

Before she realized it, they had arrived. Lewis pulled up in front of a small cottage surrounded by overgrown forest. A young, slender redhead was standing on the porch, hammering in a loose board, when she turned and waved as Lewis honked the horn. She walked over and offered a hand as Kay left the truck.

“Hi! You must be Kayla?”

“Kaylia.” Lewis corrected as Kay accepted the handshake.

“I’m Robin Wright, the local carpenter. The Mayor, here, asked me to make sure the ol’ homestead was ship-shape and Bristol fashion before you got here.”

“Wait, what?” Lewis asked, giving Robin a confused look.

Kay was doing her best to keep her excitement in check upon seeing the house, but Robin’s choice of phrase and the Mayor’s confusion demanded an appropriate response. “It’s an old navy phrase, meaning everything in perfect order.” In the corner of her eye, she saw Robin grin in response.

“Oh,” Lewis said, nodding. “Right.”

“As are we, Mr. Mayor.” Kay added after a moment, winking at Robin.

“SO!” Robin said, speaking up before Lewis could ask anything further. “I shored up the foundation and patched all the holes I could find, so you should be pretty cozy once you get the fireplace going. She still needs a lot of work before she’s truly a home, though, so if you can put the costs and some supplies together, I’d be happy to help you expand or get some other buildings up.”

“Awfully rude to throw a sales pitch at her right off the truck, as it were.” Lewis chided. Robin threw a glare at him, but Kay saw it wasn’t serious.

“Supplies? Like, I’d need to provide building materials?”

“Hey, I’m a carpenter, not a miracle-worker.” Kay snorted at Robin’s response, caught off-guard by the reference. “I live up by the mountain lake, stop by when you get a chance!”

“Well, I think we should let Kaylia get some rest, she’s had a long trip. Oh,” Lewis turned to Kay as Robin headed north, “you may want to take some time tomorrow to explore and introduce yourself around town. Word about you coming to town got out, and everyone’s interested to meet you!”

“Thank you, I probably will! Thank you so much for all your help.”

“It’s the least I could do. I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say that your folks were the heart of this town, once upon a time. I try to keep their spirit alive, and I suspect that will be easier with you here, now.”

Lewis climbed into the truck and started for town, waving as he went by. “Welcome to Red Dragon Farm!” he called as he drove by.

Kay watched him go, a few tears coming to her eyes. She smiled to herself as she went inside and dropped her pack on the floor. She surveyed the spartan accommodations: there was a bed, a fireplace, a dining table and single chair, a reasonably-sized television on a stand, a small area rug, and a potted fern for a pop of color. Kay lamented the lack of kitchen equipment, but was otherwise overjoyed. A massive wave of exhaustion finally took hold as the last of her tension was dispelled, and she crawled into the bed. As sleep quickly took her, she smiled to herself.

_I’m home._


	2. Welcome to the Valley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introductions, a secret love nest, and fond memories.

Year 1, Spring 1

Kaylia awoke early the next morning to birdsong and sunlight streaming through the window. Her sleep had been deeply restful, and as she got out of bed, threw on her new working clothes, and reapplied the red headband keeping her hair out of her eyes, she felt ready as ever to face the day and her new life.

Her eyes lit on a small package on the floor of the cottage; she must have missed it yesterday in her almost obscene haste to go to bed. She picked it up and set it on the small dining table, then went to inspect the tools the Mayor had mentioned. They were indeed old, but otherwise in excellent condition. The axe and scythe seemed to maintain something of an edge, and the mining pick and hoe also appeared serviceable, but everything could definitely use some sharpening. Her real reservations involved the watering can, of a size more suited to a small garden rather than a large-scale farming operation. _Baby steps_ , Kay thought to herself as she turned back to the small package.

She opened the note addressed to her and attached to the top of the box. “ _Here’s a little something to get you started! -Mayor Lewis_ ” The mayor had signed it with a little smiley face. Kaylia smiled herself as she opened the box, pulling out packets of parsnip seeds. Lining them up on the table, she counted fifteen in total. _Not bad, but we can do better._ She knew she wanted to start small, but not that small. Looking through her wallet and counting the remnants of her discharge funds, Kay figured she had enough to expand her new parsnip patch a bit, but likely not enough to her taste. She’d have to see how much seeds cost first, at any rate.

“Well,” she said, “time to tame the wilderness.” Gathering her tools, she opened the door and stepped outside into the brisk spring air.

The first thing she noticed, now that the light was better and she wasn’t completely exhausted, was the sheer scale of the property. The farm was nestled into a box canyon, and she vaguely remembered the Mayor mentioning on the drive over that the property lines ran right up to the canyon walls all around. The cabin was positioned on a small rise in the northeast corner of the farm, which afforded a fine view of the entire farm, at least as much as could be seen through the dense copse of trees and undergrowth. Over to her left was a large wooden bin with a lid, which Kay surmised was for outgoing shipments. Walking the length of the farm, she made note of a small cave set into the northern cliff face next to a path leading up into the mountains, and the ruins of a greenhouse near that. A small pond was immediately south of the house, and Kay found a larger pond on the southern edge of the property after pushing through a large tangle of tall grass and saplings. _This is going to take some planning,_ she thought to herself as she returned to the cabin porch.

Deciding to clear out the space directly in front of the cabin, she grabbed the axe and pick and set to work. The trees came down surprisingly quickly, and the smaller rocks were simple affairs of pick-work. Work halted when Kay ran against an old growth stump, her axe unable to gain purchase on the harder wood. Until she could have her tools sharpened, it would remain, so it became a natural boundary for this first effort. Still, she was able to clear a surprising amount of space in a short while, and she went over the remaining grasses and small shrubs with the scythe. That done, Kay visualized a small patch of ground roughly 12 feet by twelve feet and started tilling with the hoe. As she worked, she calculated: four square feet of plot per packet of seeds should be about right. She figured that would need to be adjusted depending on the crop, but, again, baby steps.

The sun had risen in the sky perceptibly by the time she was done, and Kay stepped back to admire her handiwork. The smallish plot of tilled land was ready for seeding and watering. Splashing some water on her face from the nearby pond, she started to head east towards town, but stopped to consider. She was definitely feeling the burn, and she had plenty of time yet, so maybe it would be better to explore a bit. Grabbing her backpack, she turned north, to the mountains.

The mountain path was lined with evergreens, and the sound of birds and wildlife filled the air. Wild horseradish and leeks seemed plentiful in the hills, and Kay started gathering what she could for future use. She opened her senses to the world around her and was amazed at how bright and vibrant everything felt. The telltale signs of civilization were completely absent here; the air was fresh and clean, the trees and foliage were bright shades of green, what animals she saw were healthy and well-fed. It was a far cry from the drab, downtrodden, utter _greyness_ of the Empire. She understood immediately why Daniel loved it here.

As she let her senses wander, she became aware of a pulse of... something underneath everything, just as vibrant as everything else. It swirled around her, seemingly just out of her perception. Kay wondered if this was the earth magic the wizards in the Capitol raved about incessantly. Supposedly, it permeated the Republic only, especially in places like this, and they suspected it was a factor in the superior quality of crops and animals compared to Imperial counterparts. Indeed, they also thought it sped the growth and maturity of same, though they couldn’t prove it, and that was patently ridiculous, anyway. Still, seeing it in person, Kaylia had to wonder. She wondered why she couldn’t pin it down with her own magical senses, but chalked it up to her Imperial origins.

Kay eventually reached signs of life, a large log cabin appearing as she walked around a bend in the path. Further along, she saw an older man tending a fire in front of a yellow tent. As she got closer, he appeared to be wearing a coat of treated leaves, and his white hair and impressive beard grew wild and unkempt. He eventually noticed her passing by, and Kay definitely got the impression that he was wary of her, as he likely was of all strangers. She waved as she continued along the path towards a large lake and behind what must have been Robin’s house.

Reaching the lake, Kay noted the to small islands in the middle, along with the clamor of a mining crew working to clear a landslide. She thought she could make out another cabin to the northeast, but wasn’t sure. She turned south and continued following the path as it switched back and downward past the front of Robin’s home, a large, multi-level log affair that had clearly been a great labor of love and craft. A number of weather-monitoring instruments festooned the roof, and she noticed a telescope on the second-floor balcony. She could hear multiple distinct voices from within through open windows, though not clearly enough to make out words. She made a note to return and talk to Robin about her services in detail, and maybe meet the rest of her family.

Turning south, Kay finally reached Pelican Town proper. She could make out what were likely the general store, medical clinic, and pub in the center of town, with a number of houses and a trailer home scattered around to the south. Beyond them, the town’s beach and pier were obscured by the treeline, with the Gem Sea beyond them. The telltale sounds of a generator came from the east, the local smithy, no doubt, and Kay turned to see both it and the town’s library.

With a start, she suddenly became aware of a... gap in the vibrancy of the town, for lack of better terms. North of the smithy was a large warehouse-styled building, a nearby sign proclaiming it the local JojaMart. She shouldn’t have been surprised by the encroachment of big business to this otherwise sleepy town, but the corporate slogans prominently displayed (“Life’s better with Joja!” “Join us. Thrive.”) rubbed her the wrong way. No surprise that Lewis forgot to mention this particular feature, as it seemed completely at odds with the rest of town. Kay was disgusted with how cold it seemed. Impersonal. _Imperial._

*****

A tiny bell rang as Kay entered Pierre’s General Store. She briefly looked over the shelves stocked with products, noting a wide array of products. It had a very homey, retro vibe, with several older posters (at least 30 years old, in some cases) describing wonderful brands and products that likely no longer existed. There were a few people browsing the aisles, and a woman with striking green braided hair in a shop apron restocking some of them. Behind the counter, a large sign proclaimed “If we don’t got it, we can get it!”

Also behind the counter stood the proprietor, or so Kay assumed. Pierre was a man in maybe his late 30s, with brown hair parted down the middle and swept back, glasses, and a worn leather shop coat. He smiled brightly as he at last noticed Kay enter. “Welcome! Welcome!” he greeted her, waving her over enthusiastically.

This being her first time meeting someone un-escorted, Kaylia pondered how best to proceed. Obviously, she wanted to make a good first impression. Equally obviously, she was the recently-AWOL commander-in-chief of Gotoro military forces and one of the mythical Bladesisters, so a modicum of restraint might be called for. Lewis had already warned her that the town was eager to meet her, which meant deciding on a general response plan now. Time slowed around her as she reviewed her options, and eventually she settled on what seemed like it would be the most fun: enthusiastic eccentricity. She approached the counter and joyfully greeted the man.

“Bonjour bonjour, monsieur!” she replied, “ravi de nous rencontrer! Vous êtes Pierre, je suppose?”

It was a calculated move, addressing the proprietor in a language only the deranged would assume he knew based only on his name. She fully expected to play it off after a few moments of confusion, hopefully giving the impression of joking to cope with her “nervousness”. However, when Pierre broke out in the biggest smile Kay had seen since arriving in the Republic, she recognized her gross tactical error almost immediately.

“Oui, madame! Et vous devez être la charmante Mme Gardner! Enchante! Bienvenue dans mon humble boutique!”

Thus began a five-minute whirlwind of conversation between Kay and Pierre that was otherwise impenetrable to the other townsfolk. Kay had just finished explaining that, no, she hadn’tsd spent a lot of time in Grampleton, she was just a dedicated student of languages, when the green-haired woman stepped over and coughed conspicuously.

“Forgive me,” Pierre said, dropping both the language and the ridiculous accent, “let me introduce my wife, Caroline. Cari, this is Kaylia Gardner, Daniel and Kim’s granddaughter.”

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you!” Caroline put her basket of items down and offered a warm handshake, which Kay accepted. She was about as tall as Pierre (making them both 5’ 11”, four inches shorter than Kay’s statuesque 6’ 3”), and her apron obscured an otherwise trim figure. “We were so excited to hear you were coming to work the farm! We didn’t know your grandparents for very long, but we felt like we lost family when they passed all the same.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you to say.” Kay smiled wistfully. “I miss them every day.” She could feel them both sizing her up and tamped down on a flare of paranoia.

“We’ll have to have you over for dinner when you have the time!” Caroline said. “Abby’s been dying of curiosity when she found out a girl was taking over Red Dragon Farm, and a soldier besides! She’d love to meet you!”

“Now now,” Pierre chided, “she’s just arrived! I’m sure she has her hands full whipping that place back into shape!.” Caroline snorted as she returned to the shelves. “Our daughter, Abigail, is a little obsessed with adventuring, and you’re catnip for that sort of thing. Cari’s absolutely right, though, let me know when things calm down a bit and I’ll whip up a meal fit for kings!”

“Don’t do it!” a voice called out from behind with a burst of laughter. Kay turned to be greeted by a portly gentleman in a yellow and blue windbreaker and sporting a _fabulous_ handlebar mustache. His eyes sparkled with mirth as he approached and extended a hand. “Pierre fancies himself a chef, but ‘mad food scientist’ would be more appropriate!”

“Kaylia Gardner, Gus Wells, our _illustrious_ local tavern-keeper. And you keep out of this!” Pierre glared at Gus after the introductions, but it was easy to see it was just theater. Kay gladly accepted Gus’s hand, noticing his strong grip and returning the favor, causing Gus to wince a little.

“Hey Gus, I have your order around back.” Caroline said as she headed that way to fetch it.

“Thank you, be right there!” Gus turned back to Kay, shaking his hand out. “It is a pleasure to meet our new lady agriculturalist, excessive grip strength notwithstanding. Listen, forget about this rank amateur and stop by the Saloon when you can. I’ll treat you to a meal that will change your life.” He laughed again as he went to follow Caroline.

“I hate to admit it,” Pierre said, adjusting his glasses, “but he’s probably the best chef in five counties. We’re lucky to have him.”

“I’ll bet.”

“So, not that I don’t appreciate the chance to meet, but I suspect you’re not here just to shoot the breeze.”

Kay nodded. “Actually, you wouldn’t have any use for local forage, would you? I need supplies, obvs, and I’m trying to conserve the war chest, as it were.”

“Absolutely!” Pierre looked almost giddy. “We rarely get a chance to go a-hunting lately, and when we do go, Linus has usually gotten the best pick of the fields.”

“Linus?”

“Oh, he’s a transient that lives up in the mountains, near the Wright place. Been here a few years, mostly keeps to himself.” Kay nodded, remembering the man as she walked through the mountains. “Anyway, what did you find?”

Kay opened her pack and pulled out the roots and leeks she had found, and Pierre gave them a quick inspection. “The good stuff, huh. Not bad...” he said to himself as he jotted down some numbers on a note pad. “How does 300 gold sound?”

“Fine with me, though you may want to keep it in the register.” Kay filled him in on her immediate needs: 21 packets of parsnip seeds and an array of notepads and stationary. Pierre quickly took to the stocks and collected the request as Kay paged through the special order catalogs on the counter.

“Keeping a narrow field to start?” he asked as he took Kay’s payment and bagged up the items.

“To start. Lots more to do before I can get a real operation going.”

“Fortune favors the ambitious! You need more seeds and supplies, you come right back!”

_Does it?_ Kay wondered to herself. “What are your hours? I may be back today, depending.”

“9 to 5 everyday but Wednesday.”

“...why Wednesday?”

“Turns out having a day off in the middle of the week is super useful. Also, it’s easier to get quality family time.”

“I can appreciate that. Thanks again!” Kay collected her purchases and turned with a wave. _If everyone in town was this friendly, meeting everyone would be a snap,_ Kay thought as she opened the door to leave.

**WHAM**

Kay was startled as she walked directly into someone attempting to enter the store, knocking them to the ground. “Oh, Goddess, I’m so sorry!” she apologized as she went to help them up.

“Oof,” the young lady (it turned out) said, “tell me you got the license of that truck.”

She was about 5’ 8”, with long, brown hair tied back in an elegant braid. She wore a close-fitting magenta cardigan and jeans against the crisp spring air, which framed a generous feminine figure. Kay reminded herself to keep her mind out of the gutter, especially on her first day here, and lifted the woman up to her feet with one arm easily.

“You’re a strong one, aren’t you?” she said, giggling as she regained her feet and leaned in to a hug. Kaylia noticed a warm scent of sugar and vanilla and lingered in the hug for a moment longer.

“Yes, ma’am. Kaylia Gardner, for all of your personal freight needs.”

At her introduction, the woman’s smile faded just a little. “How do you do. I’m Jodi. Jodi Freeman.” Kay recognized the name immediately as they parted.

“Oh, Mrs. Freeman, I, uh...” Kay stammered, regretting the flash of attraction. She hadn’t been expecting to meet her this soon,

Jodi shook her head, her smile returning full force. “Don’t worry about it, I’m sure we’ll have time to talk later. I mean, the fact that you’re here now means things are changing, right?”

“I hope so.” Kay responded.

“It was nice meeting you!” Jodi said as she entered the general store. Kay stood there for a moment, considering how best to approach her later to both apologize for steamrolling her and to have the inevitable conversation about her past. She turned west and headed back to the farm, lost in thought.

*****

In Kaylia’s mind, farming was one of the most important callings to which one can aspire, as the health, wealth, and stability of a nation relied greatly on the fruits, vegetables, grains, and animal goods provided by the agriculturalist. She had also known that farming was also a labor of both love and ceaseless, backbreaking effort, but was only now coming to grips with that. While she was glad of having tilled soil before heading in to town, spreading the now sizable collection of parsnip seeds and then ensuring the entire plot was sufficiently watered was a tiring task.

She collapsed next to the small pond when she was done, staring up at an impossibly blue sky. The sun traversed overhead in its usual arc, and the cool breeze and copious birdsong led Kay to close her eyes for just a moment. As she lay there, she thought she could detect a low thrum in the air. Past the constant buzzing of insects or chirping of birds, this almost felt like a steady beat, as if the farm itself were alive. The longer she listened, the more distinct it became, until it seemed to match her own heartbeat. In that moment, Kaylia felt a peace and tranquility almost unlike any she had known before. It was love, a deeply personal connection to the land, almost exactly as Daniel had described it in his letters. To Kay, it compared to the same feeling when she and Zoria would fall asleep in each other’s arms, the world falling away until only they remained.

When she finally arose, she realized several hours had passed. She felt... different, somehow. As though she had bonded to the land through her communion with the farm. It was a strange albeit pleasant feeling. Less so was the insistent rumbling of her gut, a reminder of more pressing needs. She splashed some water on her face, grabbed her pack, and headed back to town. Time to take Gus up on his offer of food.

*****

The Stardrop Saloon was situated right in the center of town, and it was 5 o’clock by the time Kay got there. Inside, she saw Gus standing behind a wide expanse of teak and wiping out glasses. Nearby, a tall girl with hair a distressing shade of blue arranged plates and flatware on the shelves behind the bar. She wore a long red dress that seemed to be of high quality, though the styling was somewhat simple. Kay also noticed a few patrons, an older woman at the bar with spiky chestnut hair, a bright purple track suit, and eye shadow applied with a _very_ strong line; and a dark-haired gentleman sitting next to the lit fireplace and nursing a beer, bearing five o’clock shadow and wearing a threadbare hoodie emblazoned with the JojaCorp logo. _He must work at JojaMart_ , Kay thought to herself.

Gus noticed Kay standing at the door and waved her over. “Ah! Pelican Town’s newest arrival puts in an appearance at the local watering hole, to the delight and curiosity of the assemblage!”

“I’ll drink to that!” The older woman cheered, tilting back her pint glass and finishing off the contents. “Oh, tavern-keeper, my glass appears to have sprung a leak.”

“Right you are, Pam,” Gus replied, filling a replacement and walking it over. Kaylia immediately found herself confronted by the anime protagonist.

“Hi! I’m Emily! I’m so happy to meet you!” she said.

“Kaylia, likewise.” Emily’s enthusiasm was infectious, to say the least.

“You’re going to love it here, I can just tell. I have a way with auras.”

“R-really?” Kay tamped down hard on her shock, an aura reader checking the ledger of her soul was the last thing she needed right now.

“Oh, yeah, and yours is clearly in tune with Red Dragon! You’re a perfect match for each other!”

_Ah_ , Kay thought, _one of those._ She relaxed, with a mental note to watch herself around Emily in future just in case she got lucky.

“Pam Pierce, dang glad to know ya!” said the lady at the end of the bar, raising her new glass.

“Pam is our resident bus driver.” Gus explained.

“At least I would be if the dang thing weren’t broken down!” Pam replied, taking a healthy gulp of her beer. “’Till it’s fixed, I’m the resident barfly.”

Gus nodded towards the man at the fireplace. “Gent over there’s Shane, works up at JojaMart. He’s staying with his aunt, Marnie, who runs the ranch west of town. He’s a good fella, but he’s been going through a real rough patch lately, so you may want to steer clear for a bit.”

Kay regarded Shane with a kind eye, wondering what led him to this state but being careful not to dwell on it.

“So, my young lady farmer, what’ll it be?” Gus said, twirling his very impressive mustache. Kay snorted, which Gus interpreted to be directed at his unique sense of panache, rather than at the ridiculous notion that Kaylia was anything close to _young_. Seeing another opportunity to be weird for her own amusement, she adopted a highly posh accent.

“My _good_ man,” she began, inflecting as much Imperial noble as possible, “touching upon that meal you so very decently volunteered to stand me...”

“Oh, right you are, miss,” Gus replied in kind, “what did you have in mind? A plate of spicy eel, guaranteed to clear the sinuses? Perhaps a filling bowl of chowder? Fresh basket of fish and chips?”

“A lot of fish come through town, I take it?”

“Sure does. Top quality, too, thanks to our resident master angler. He’s away on a big fishing trip right now, but he should be back any day now.”

“Well, let’s keep it boring for now. Any chance of a salad with some of that fresh fish? I could use the protein.”

“Cooked or poke-style?”

“Ooh, poke-style, light on the soy sauce.” Kay turned and took a seat at one of the low tables near the bar.

“One poke salad, coming right up!” Gus turned to the counter behind the bar and began prepping an array of greens and vegetables, placing them in a bowl and dressing them lightly with oil and vinegar. As he worked, Kay took out one of the notepads and pencils she purchased earlier and started drawing the farm’s layout. With her holographic talent, she could set up an interactive map of the farm to pull up and plan with at a moment’s notice, but using any of her flashier talents risked discovery, if not incidentally by the townsfolk, then certainly by her sisters in far-off Gotoro. Besides, she appreciated the tactile nature of paper and pencil, especially since she needn’t worry about her plans falling into the wrong hands.

Her logistical talents were another matter. Completely internalized as they were, she set them to the task at hand with little worry of detection. Her hand was a blur as she sketched dimensions, field allocations, site planning for future buildings. On a separate lined pad, she calculated seed costs based on what she saw earlier in Pierre’s, growth rates, expected and average crop yields, ROI projections. A cohesive plan for the spring growing season came together, and Kay started filling out a set of rough estimates on an impromptu calendar on the margins.

Her concentration was broken by Gus clearing his throat, and Kay looked up to see him and Emily watching her, a bowl in Gus’s hands.

“Sorry,” Kay apologized, “I get carried away sometimes.”

“That was intense,” Emily said, her voice tinged in wonder. Kay cleared away her notes to make room, and Gus set the finished salad in front of her. It was a perfectly mixed assortment of spring greens, with cubes of tuna and sesame seeds dotted throughout. Normally, she’d be worried about the strong smell of vinegar overwhelming such a dish, but Gus truly knew his business, and the aroma from the bowl was a pleasant mix of vinegar, soy, and sesame.

“Would the lady care for a beverage?” Gus asked.

“A cranberry candy?” Kay asked. It was an unusual ask, but she figured if anyone could make one, it’d be Gus.

He smiled broadly. “Never too old for one of those.” He slipped back behind the bar and quickly mixed the juice-and-soda mocktail, pouring it over ice into a tall Collins glass. By the time it was ready, Kay had already devoured half the salad.

“You look like you needed that,” Gus commented, setting the drink down on the table. Kay nodded.

“One loses track of time shaping the earth and exerting dominion over nature.” She took a big sip of the drink, noting its rather muted flavor. “Frozen cranberries?” she asked. Gus nodded sadly.

“Fresh berries this early in the year are riotously expensive. Joja carries them, fresh and frozen, and sometimes they run really good deals, but the quality was much lower than I hoped for.”

Kay thought for a moment. “Ever thaw the frozen stuff, juice and strain it, then refreeze it into a granita?” she suggested. Gus nodded sagely.

“I would, if the deep chill weren’t on the fritz. Someone’s supposed to come out to take a look this week, finally. Good eye, though, you cook?”

Kay nodded, continuing to obliterate the salad. “Occupational requirement, no one else in my unit had any palette to speak of.” Kay was pleased with her half-lie; it was absolutely true that the Imperial military didn’t really pay attention to things like flavor in its MREs, and she had taken to improvising for the sake of her sanity and her troops’ morale.

Gus mixed another cranberry candy and brought it back to the table, gesturing to the other chair. Kay nodded, and he sat.

“What unit, if you don’t mind my asking?” _Here we go,_ Kay thought, _showtime._

“Not at all. Able Company, 1st Battalion, 103rd Infantry.”

Gus nodded. “The Roaring Tigers. Good unit. I was attached to them during my last tour.”

“Catering Corps?” Kay asked. Gus smiled and nodded.

“You bet. ‘Keep ‘em fed...’”

“’...keep ‘em fighting.’” Kay and Gus finished in unison.

“You couldn’t ask for a better bunch of guys. Gals, too, of course.”

“I never knew you were in the Army!” Emily had wandered over, deciding that her eavesdropping had grown too intense to hide.

“I don’t make a big deal out of it. Logistics work is important, and I was proud to serve like the rest of the Corps. Folks like Kay, though, front line troopers? They’re the real heroes.”

Kay wasn’t expecting the sharp stab of guilt, being referred to like that, and it knocked the breath out of her. _How many of those heroes were you responsible for killing,_ a nasty voice in the back of her mind asked. _How_ _much of their blood did you spill_ _personally?_ She quickly got a handle on her emotions, but the lapse had been too obvious to miss.

“Hey, you alright?” Gus asked, his and Emily’s faces filled with concern.

“It’s... yeah. It’s nothing.” Kay shut her eyes, blinking away tears. _Where was this coming from?_ “I guess I’m more tired than I thought. I should head out.”

“Will you be alright getting home? I can walk you back.” Emily offered, looking to Gus who nodded in agreement.

“No, thanks, it’s really alright.” Kaylia gathered her notes into her pack. “Dinner was amazing, Gus, I’ll be back as often as I can afford it.”

“Excellent, another satisfied customer!”

Kay smiled and bid goodnight, stepping out into the cool night air. The day’s toil had been draining, and despite the excellent meal, she was plain worn out. It was a good feeling, though, certainly vastly preferable to the grind of leading the Emperor’s armies in battle. She fully expected to collapse into her bed as soon as she got home, and she wasn’t wrong.

*****

Gus shook his head as he rounded back behind the bar. Pam looked down at her glass before turning back to the jovial barman.

"Gus, maybe it's the beer talking, and maybe that's a sign I've had too much tonight, but are we sure that _wasn't_ Kim Gardner?"

Gus chuckled. "It's uncanny, I'll give you that. I mean, I don't remember her being just _that_ tall, but apart from that, she's the very image."

Emily continued cleaning and stacking plates quietly, considering her elders' conversation. She clearly remembered the Gardners from when she was much younger, and she was absolutely certain that Kaylia looked _nothing_ like Mrs. Gardner. Well, they were both tall, had very large breasts, their senses of humor seemed very similar, and they both had that easygoing, flirty-without-knowing-it personality. But Mrs. Gardner's face was much more round, as were her facial features, while Kaylia's were sharper, almost hawk-like. Also, she was sure Mrs. Gardner's aura hadn't been nearly as blinding. No, Kaylia almost certainly wasn't who she claimed to be, but Emily could see the kindness and boundless love in that impossibly-old and powerful aura, the scars and regrets, the desperate _need_ to be here.

Emily smiled to herself. She wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that, and she hoped Kay could learn to trust them enough with the truth someday. Faith in the Goddess would be enough assurance for Emily on that score.

*****

The snap of a branch roused Kaylia out of her sleep in an instant, her danger senses primed and active. Her sleep had been deep and dreamless, but decades of training along with magically boosted perception roused her to wakefulness with the unexpected noise. Padding quietly out of bed, she crept over the to the door and peaked outside. The moon shone brightly, casting a pale light over the farm that seemed to rob it of color. Another loud rustling came from her right, near the ruined greenhouse. With no time to pull on anything other than her pajamas, Kaylia took hold of the logging axe (the closest thing she had to a proper weapon) and exited the cabin, quietly stalking towards the source of the disturbance.

She caught a flicker of light from within the greenhouse, and heard what sounded like a feminine giggle. She approached the greenhouse as quickly and quietly as she could, reaching a gap in the broken glass. She carefully peaked inside and the scene caused her jaw to drop. Two young ladies, one blond, the other an auburn redhead in glasses, were seated on a large pile of pillows and cushions in the middle of the derelict structure and engaged in a vigorous make-out session. A small lantern nearby cast a warm glow on the pair, in stark contrast to the cold glare of the moon filtering through the tattered roof.

The blond girl’s hair was full and luxurious, coming down to just below her shoulder. Her skin was light, almost porcelain, and her blue dress was pulled down to her waist, revealing a large pair of breasts topped by cute pink nipples (Kay figured they were DDs, based on her own generous endowment). One of these was currently being sucked on by the other girl, whose auburn hair was cut just above her chin and which framed her face beautifully, her skin the color of caramel in the lantern light. She wore a yellow shirt and denim overalls, baggy enough to obscure her figure as she pressed into her paramour’s body.

Kaylia felt her cock stir to action at the arousing scene, traitorous appendage that it was. She was seriously conflicted about what to do. Obviously, the girls were trespassing and Kay was well within her rights to interrupt them and order them off the property. However, it was entirely possible that this secret rendezvous was a necessity and, given the level of ardor currently on display, an uncommon one. It would be irresponsible and rather heartless to put a stop to this young love, especially now that the moaning started.

“Haley!” the redhead whispered harshly, “you gotta be quiet! You might wake the new farmer up!”

Haley leaned over and drove her tongue into the other girl’s mouth, eliciting a deep moan. “I know, Maru, but you feel so good. I’ve missed this so much.”

“I have, too.” Maru responded, returning the kiss and pulling Haley into a tight embrace. She soon helped the blond completely out of her dress and pushed her back onto the cushions. Haley’s chest belied an otherwise lithe figure, lean and sculpted but still soft and feminine. She guided the redhead down to between her legs and Kay soon heard the telltale signs of Haley’s pussy being eaten.

“Oh, Goddess,” Haley whispered, biting down on her hand before covering her own head with a pillow to dampen the sounds of her excitement. Maru was clearly enjoying herself as well, moans periodically emerging from between Haley’s legs. The scent of their arousal reached Kay’s nose and was intoxicating. Before long, Kay had freed her girlcock from confinement and was now causally stroking herself, cursing her poor viewing angle.

“Oh, Maru!” Haley whispered loudly as her body shook with a powerful orgasm. Kay smiled in approval at Maru’s obvious oral skills to bring Haley off so quickly, though she wondered if that was just from a long buildup. Haley grabbed Maru’s head and pulled her up into a deep kiss, cleaning Maru’s face of her own juices as best she could.

“Did you come, too?” she asked, and Maru grinned as she shook her head.

“I was close, but I’d rather have your lips on me right now.”

Kay raised her eyebrow at this news. She was well familiar with the ability to get off on giving oral sex, and was glad to learn of others who was the same. It was also impossibly arousing, as her sudden jolt of precum could attest.

“Mmm, you have too many clothes on for that,” Haley said in a sultry tone of voice, “they need to come out. I need them in my mouth.” The girls both helped Maru out of her overalls, and Haley sighed in lust as Maru pulled her shirt over her head. Kay’s eyes widened at the reveal of a massive pair of breasts. They were at least H cups, with large areolae at least five inches across and hardening nipples the size of Kay’s thumb-tip. Granted, they weren’t the K-cup monsters that Zoria regularly sported when they were together, but it had been a long time since Kay had seen such an amazing endowment. Rather unlike Haley’s firm, high globes, Maru’s had just a little bit of sag, deforming slightly into otherwise round teardrops. Exactly the kind of breasts that could really rev Kay’s engines.

They kissed briefly before Haley brought her lips down to gently kiss Maru’s right nipple. There was a sharp intake of breath, and Kay realized Maru must have been exceptionally sensitive as well. She watched, transfixed, as Haley took the nipple into her mouth and gently sucked as she slowly reached her left hand down between Maru’s legs. Kay could see Haley slowly push one finger, then two, between the wet folds as Maru pulled Haley into her chest, the flesh conforming around her face. Maru then lifted her left breast to greedily suck on her own nipple, moaning in unison with Haley.

Haley and Maru were clearly in heaven, each sucking and teasing a nipple with their lips and tongues, and Haley slowly, methodically drew her fingers in and out of Maru’s wet pussy. Occasionally, she would graze her thumb over Maru’s clit, drawing loud gasps from her paramour. Haley released the nipple from her mouth and brought her face close to Maru’s.

“Are you ready?”

“Goddess, yes, please!”

“What do you want?”

“I want to cum! I want to cum so bad!”

“Tell me how.”

“Please, Haley! Let me cum all over your pretty face!”

“Hmm, I thought you’d never ask.”

Haley immediately got down and drove her tongue as deep into Maru’s cavern as she could, withdrawing her fingers to play with Maru’s clit. Maru threw her head back and screamed as her release arrived, and she grabbed the back of Haley’s head to drive her as deeply as possible. Haley moaned her way though a small orgasm as she greedily swallowed Maru’s nectar.

The erotic scene lit the fire of Kay’s own orgasm, and she rapidly stroked herself to completion, her cum flying out of her cock to land on the ground. Kay did her best to remain quiet, but she couldn’t stop the small gasps that accompanied the last few bursts. Luckily, the girls didn’t hear her, as Maru’s insistent cries of “Ah! Haley!” and Haley’s own moaning covered for her.

Kay slumped to the ground and leaned against a nearby support beam. She watched the girls as Haley continued to lick Maru through her orgasm. Slowly, as Maru’s crescendo faded, Haley extracted herself and came up face-to-face. They kissed deeply, Maru licking Haley’s face clean as Haley had done previously. Haley then brought her fingers up between their faces, their tongues dancing around it and savoring Maru’s unique flavor. The two girls rested their heads against each other, breathing heavily and looking into each others eyes as they came down from the incredible high bathed in soft lantern light. “What was that about being quiet?” Haley giggled, stealing another kiss. Kay was entranced with the pair, and it was clear from moments like this that these two girls cared very much for one another.

Eventually, they laid down on the cushions and pulled a thick blanket over themselves. Kay waited a minute before putting her now spent member away and rising to leave.

“Does your dad suspect anything?”

Kay’s ears pricked up on hearing the quiet pillow talk, and stayed for a moment.

“No, he’s been pretty busy with his meteorological assessment. I feel bad sneaking around like this, but he’s super protective, I don’t know how he’d react.” Maru sighed. “I’d love to take you out on a real date, without all this.”

“Me, too. Take it from someone who’s parents are never around, though, you’re super lucky to have him. He may not like it at first, but telling him will be way better than not telling him.”

“Didn’t your parents say they would be back for the Flower Dance?”

“They sure did, until they decided to stay in the Islands for another month.” Haley’s voice was full of bitterness and disappointment.

“I’m so sorry, Hale. You know, if it helps, you can be my Flower Queen.”

“So long as you’re _my_ Flower Queen.”

The sounds of soft, leisurely kissing were Kay’s signal to exit, stage left. As she entered the cottage, she was amazed at how mature the pair seemed in discussing their problems. She was also incredibly aroused by them, and briefly imagined their full lips or incredible tits wrapping around her hard girlcock. She was thankful for the additional material for her mind theater, but set it aside for the moment. Lighting the fireplace (it was a bit chilly), she took some of her new stationary out and sat at the table.

Outside, Kay had failed to notice that the ground had quickly absorbed her cum, and that the thrum of life had grown ever so slightly louder.

*****

Spring 2, Year 1

Maru woke up, Haley wrapped in her arms under the thick quilt they kept here. She kissed the back of Haley’s neck gently, enough to rouse the striking blond. She turned and they gazed into each other’s eyes lovingly, knowing they were exactly where they wanted to be.

“How cliche would I sound if I said I wanted to be here with you forever?” Maru asked, her violet eyes locked with Haley’s baby blues.

“Yeah, that’s pretty terrible,” Haley said, getting a light punch in the shoulder. “It’s okay though, I would have said it if you hadn’t.” Haley caressed Maru’s face as she closed in for a slow, deep kiss. She coaxed Maru’s tongue into her mouth and sucked on it, getting rewarded with a deep moan.

Their make-out session was interrupted by a series of loud THWACK noises. “Shit!” Haley hissed. “We overslept!”

They quickly threw their clothes on, Maru going over to the front door of the greenhouse (or at least where a front door would be) to look for the farmer. Meanwhile, Haley went to grab the lantern and was shocked to see a letter placed against it, addressed to “Haley & Maru -heart symbol-”.

“Maru!” she whispered. Maru looked over as Haley held up the letter.

“What is that?” she asked, frantically trying to locate the farmer through the gaps and cracks of the remaining greenhouse walls.

“It’s for us!” Haley replied, slicing open the letter expertly with her index fingernail. Maru came over and looked over Haley’s shoulder as they read:

_Ladies,_

_I completely understand needing a little love nest away from town, and I’m glad you feel safe enough to use the greenhouse, ruined as it is. In future, however, I would appreciate some advance warning when you wish to use the facilities, as I got quite a start last night when I realized you were here._

_Also, in the interests of full disclosure, I would like to deeply apologize for perving on you in your more intimate moments last night. Running you off the property would be disruptive and mean-spirited, not to mention RUDE, but I may have watched a little longer than I should have. Which then meant that I watched WAY longer than I should have. I hope you will forgive my incredible weakness, and I promise there is no chance of me mentioning any of the erotic lovemaking between two devastatingly beautiful women deeply in love that drove me to an incredible orgasm._

_I’d love to meet you both formally, but I recognize that might be weird just now, given the voyeurism. (Again, very sorry but also a little not sorry about that.) Please feel free to come visit whenever you like._

_With warmest regards,_

_Kaylia_

Maru blushed harder than she had in her entire life on learning that someone had seen them last night and that she thought they were beautiful. Not just that, but actually _watched_ them fuck and got off on it. The thought sent a shiver of pleasure through her body, and where the hell was THAT coming from?!

“Oh my Goddess!” she said, finally.

“Kaylia...” Haley responded. She seemed to be lost in thought, but was blushing as much as Maru. “What a pretty name-”

The girls were startled again by a piercing shriek from elsewhere on the farm. They got out of the greenhouse and started looking around for the source, when the shriek repeated. Maru’s eyes widened.

“I know that song...”

“That’s singing?” Haley asked, incredulous, before being shushed. Sure enough, a lyrical voice could be heard from the southern part of the farm, the words punctuated by the sounds of an axe biting into trees.

_“We come from the land of the ice and snow,  
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow”_

Maru smiled, her mom was definitely right about the new farmer being a blast. She turned to Haley and kissed her deeply, taking her breath away. When they parted, Maru booped Haley’s nose before heading north to the mountain road. At an appropriate time, she shrieked along with the farmer, though the timing was a little off due to the distance. Haley turned to look towards the south before she shook her head, folded up the letter and secured it in her cleavage, and headed back to town. She couldn’t help but laugh as the love of her life and this mysterious pervert sang some interminable lyrics together. She would never admit that they sounded pretty good together.

“Metalheads are the WORST.”

*****

It made no sense.

Kaylia frowned at the green shoots punching their way through the soil. At first, she had thought the soil was unusually dry given the watering from yesterday, but then she noticed the seeds had sprouted and were already at least two inches tall. Parsnips weren’t fast growers, so any sort of visual progress would be ridiculous, but this was obscene. In just over 24 hours, the seedlings had exhibited at least 4 full weeks of progress. At this rate, Kay figured the entire crop would be ready for harvest by Friday. Her mind reeled with the implications: with such a fast turnaround time, she could have a variety of crops in the ground and growing far sooner than her initial projections. She went into the cabin for her notepad and was already scribbling new figures and diagrams by the time she got back to the parsnip field.

Kay puzzled over these developments for a good half-hour before deciding to set them aside and get on with her day. She filled the old watering can and proceeded to ensure every inch of the plot got plenty of water. “No wonder you’re so thirsty,” she chuckled, “you just want to grow up so fast!” She watered all 144 square feet of the plot to what she thought was an acceptable level, then brought her tools back to the cabin. She noticed the red flag on her mailbox had been raised, and reached in for the morning mail, knocking the flag back down with her elbow before heading in.

The first letter was a quick note from Pierre, apologizing for not mentioning the shipping box next to the house. He went on to explain that Kay could put all of her produce, forage, or other goods in the box and it would be picked up at the end of the day, with the proceeds arriving the next morning. She was thankful for its presence, but she wondered if she wouldn’t prefer bringing the harvest in to town personally. The letter ended on a hand-written advertisement for a new line of backpacks. Kay admired Pierre’s hustle before she realized her pack was actually pretty small. _Oh, he’s good,_ she thought.

The second was a garish ad flier from JojaMart. Kay paged through it in morbid curiosity, not surprised by the wide variety of manufactured goods featured therein. Towards the back, an “exciting announcement” that JojaMart was now stocking seeds “for the discerning home gardener.” Kay started to scoff before she saw the prices. Based on what she saw at Pierre’s, she quickly realized Joja was charging at least 25% over the general store. “How do they expect to win business that way?” Kay asked aloud, before remembering Pierre’s schedule. Kay shrugged as she tossed the flier in the fireplace to use as kindling later. _It’d be okay in an emergency, I guess_ , she thought.

The final letter smelled strongly of the sea. Inside was a note from someone named Willy:

_Just got back from a fishing trip and heard you arrived safe and sound. Come by the beach some time when you can, I’ve got a little welcoming present for you._

Kay placed the two letters with the rest of her correspondence in a little box she kept under the bed. As much as she should continue clearing the farm, a little walk to the beach wouldn’t hurt.

*****

Kaylia inhaled the brisk sea air as she stepped onto the pier. The town’s beach afforded a broad view of the Gem Sea, and various boats and freighters dotted the horizon. In addition to the piers, there was a small cabin set against the treeline separating the beach from the town proper. There also appeared to be a series of tide pools further east, but the bridge leading to them was in dire need of repair.

Attached to the pier was a sizable shop, a sign reading “Bait & Fish” prominently displayed. At the end of the pier, an older gentleman in a frayed red jacket and floppy newsboy cap was casting a line into the water, and Kay had barely taken 5 steps when he quickly jerked the rod and reeled in a sizable fish for his trouble. The process repeated twice more by the time Kaylia reached him.

“Quite a skill you have with that rod.”

The man turned and smiled, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Thank’ee kindly! My pappy always said to keep a firm hand on ‘er and I’ll get a lifetime of pleasure.”

“Bet it’s a fine line between firm enough and too tight, though.”

“Right you are, lass, right you are.”

They laughed as he reeled in another fish, then set the rod down beside him and extended a hand. “Willy Cutler, at yer service.”

“Kay Gardner, a pleasure, sir.”

“You have any experience handling a rod?”

Kay’s smile deepened, the man was incorrigible. “When I was younger. Haven’t had time to pick it up of late, though.”

“No time like the present, then!” Willy picked up the rod and offered it to Kay. “How’s about you show an old man how the younger generation does it?”

Kay was deeply touched by the kind gift and gladly accepted. It was a simple fishing rod of bamboo, and she gave it a few swings to get a sense for it before letting fly with a fair cast.

“I were out in the Ferns when I heard about Danny and Kimmy, I was sure sorry to hear they’d headed off Beyond. Always had time to fish up a nice supper and spin a tale or two.” As they talked, Willy pulled out a worn pipe from inside his jacket, filled it from a pouch at his side, and struck a match.

“What were they like?” Kay asked. “I never got to spend a lot of time with them.”

“Oh, they were a hoot and a half, it were easy to see they loved that farm as much as they did each other. They were always so friendly, made you feel like part of the family. Gotta say, you favor Kimmy more than I was expecting. Your granny weren’t hard on the eyes, neither, if you don’t mind my saying.”

Kay laughed at that. “So I’ve been told, and thank you for the compliment. They ever have you over for more than just supper? If you don’t mind my asking.” She got a laugh from the mariner in return.

“I don’t, but be careful who you go asking that particular question unless you’re ready for the answer! Danny always said if I ever had the inclination to get to know Kimmy better, ‘we could come to an accommodation,’ as he used to say. Never took them up on it, though I appreciated it. Like the song says, she were a fine girl, but my life, my love, and my lady were the sea.”

As Willy continued reminiscing, Kay felt a sharp tug on the line. She pulled the rod back and up, felt the hook set, and started reeling the fish in. It was a fighter, alright, and Kay felt she was losing control as she tried to hold on to the catch.

“Easy now, lass,” Willy advised, “let the line out a little and pull back on the rod, get it to tire out trying to fight you.” Kay eased off on the reel and pulled opposite to the fish’s movement. She began to feel the pull lessen and started reeling, stopping occasionally as the fish got a renewed burst of energy and continued fighting. After a few tense minutes, Kay finally reeled in her prize, a 12-inch anchovy.

“Smartly done!” Willy clapped her on the back. “That’ll do for a nice bit of lunch.”

“Thanks for the help!” Kay replied.

“Nah, you just needed a refresher, I can already tell you’ve got master angling in you.”

Kay took the bait gladly. “Maybe I will a little later, if you’re feeling lucky.”

Willy nearly lost his pipe as his jaw dropped, but recovered and started laughing. “Well done!”

“Ahoy, the dock!” a call came from near the beach. Kay and Willy turned to see a tall gentleman approaching them with a wave. As he neared, Kay noticed he had classic male model looks, with a strong jaw, sharp features, and a full head of chestnut hair down to his shoulders. He wore a well-fitted burgundy top-coat with a white ruffle shirt, green cravat, and tan slacks slightly rolled at the cuffs. Surprisingly, in sharp contrast to his finely tailored clothes, he was currently bare-footed, which made his natural 6’ 1” all the more impressive.

“Ahoy yourself, you beach bum!” Willy replied with a laugh. The man smiled in return and gave Kay a short bow. “Elliott Reed, gentleman author, meet Kay Gardner, lady angler.”

“Ah, the new farmer we’ve all been expecting, and whose arrival has sparked many a conversation! An absolute pleasure.”

_Oh good grief_ , Kay thought to herself.

“Very nice to meet you Elliott. I take it that’s your cabin on the beach?”

“The very one.”

“Elliott is writing the next great Ferngill novel,” Willy added, “something about throwing oneself to nature to discover the true strength within?”

“Harsh, but accurate,” Elliott replied. “Honestly, I moved out here after too many years working PR for JojaCorp, and the change of pace and vocation was exactly what I needed.”

“That and an excuse to wear a cravat?” Kay snarked before she could stop it. Elliott gasped and clutched at his non-existent pearls.

“How very DARE you, madame! If a man wishes to dress in the manner of a self-obsessed fop, I dare say it’s his right to do so!”

“Look at that, the tide’s going out,” Willy interjected, grabbing his tackle box and heading into the bait shop. Elliott and Kay laughed at the swift exit.

“How are you settling in?” Elliott asked as they started back to the beach.

“Everyone has been very friendly,” Kay replied, “but I’ve been pretty busy on the farm. I’m trying to take breaks to meet everyone, but it’s slow going.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret, then. Friday night is the Stardrop Saloon’s busy night, I’m sure that would save a bit of time making the rounds.”

“Thanks for the tip, though I think I’d prefer to meet everyone before they’re deep in their cups.”

“Well, sure, if you want to be boring about it.”

They parted ways at Elliott’s cabin, and Kay wandered through town. She decided to walk along Willow Lane towards the forest, taking her time to study the houses along the way. She saw Emily leave one and waved to her. “Off to work?”

Emily nodded. “Yeah! Heading back to the farm?”

“Eventually.”

“Well, have fun, whatever happens!”

*****

Cindersap Forest was a lot bigger than Kaylia was expecting, opening to a beautiful vista of trees and hills as she followed the river west of town. She passed by what could only be Marnie’s ranch, a number of cows and chickens milling around a penned area. There was also another small cottage near the river as it turned south into the sea. The area was littered with pine, oak, and maple trees, along with countless shrubberies and the host of forest fauna that relied on such flora.

Off in the distance, standing tall over the deeper parts of the forest, Kay spotted what looked like a fairy tale wizard’s tower. The tall edifice loomed over the forest, and Kay wondered about walking over to take a look, but decided against it for now. If it wasn’t a wizard’s tower, it would be a pretty big disappointment. If it _was_ , best not to let any occupants know she was curious. Kay considered further: if there was an actual wizard in residence, it was entirely possible that they knew all about her, and that could be trouble. Still, if wizards in the Republic were anything like the ones in the Empire, she wasn’t interested in attracting their attention.

“Probably want to graft a penis to my forehead or something,” she mumbled to herself as she turned north back to the farm.

“Hello!” a bright, feminine voice called out to her, and Kay turned to see a young woman with bright red hair waving at her. The woman carried a large sketch pad in one arm and had a small bag over her shoulder. She wore a green work shirt under a dark green vest, open to expose a purple tank top underneath, and her hair was pulled into a braid over her shoulder.

“Hello! Making some sketches?” Kay replied as she approached.

“Yeah, the light’s just about perfect for it. I’m Leah, by the way, I live in that cottage over there.”

“Kaylia, I’m very pleased to meet you!” she replied, looking Leah over. She was much shorter, probably about 5’ 7”, and of trim build. She caught Leah’s eyes occasionally dropping to Kay’s bust and smiled to herself. _Ooh, someone’s noticed the girls._

“So,” Leah said, trying very hard not to ogle the Valkyrie goddess in front of her, “h-how is the farm doing? Was it in good shape?”

“It’s going to be a project. Five years with no one tending to the place tends to let nature remodel, as it were.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve walked through there sometimes looking for inspiration, I’m a little sad it’s being cleaned up.” Leah blushed as she realized her faux pas. “I mean, not that it’s a bad thing you’re cleaning it up! I’m sure the space will be really useful!” She couldn’t believe how flustered she was getting. After all, as pretty as Kaylia was, tall and booby had never been Leah’s type. Those eyes, though.

Kay smiled. “It’s alright, I get what you mean. I don’t think it’s all going away soon, it’s pretty tiring chopping down trees and breaking rocks.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Leah decided it would be a very good idea to bid her goodbye and get back to her studio before she stuffed her foot in her mouth. “I should... uh, I should get back to my bedroom. STUDIO. My studio.” Uh oh, too late.

Kay chuckled. The girl needed to be put out of her misery. “Yeah, I should go too, lot to do yet today. It was very nice to meet you, Leah, maybe we’ll run into each other at the Saloon sometime?”

“Sure! I’d love that!” Leah’s eyes widened. “I mean, yeah, I’m sure we will!”

“Great. See you then.” Kay turned and started back to the farm as Leah almost sprinted back to her cottage. Once inside, she splashed some cold water on her face. _What just happened?_ she thought to herself. _I haven’t been that flustered since I met Kel._ After a moment calming down, thought about the similarities between the new farmer and her ex. True, Kaylia was incredibly hot, but as she thought more about it, she realized she didn’t necessarily want to jump right into bed with her. Kel had an allure that was intoxicating, seductive, and maybe Kaylia had something similar, but it wasn’t as intense. She seemed more like a close friend in the making, initial attraction notwithstanding, and Leah was truly excited at the prospect of having exactly that kind of relationship here.

*****

Twilight was closing in as Maru knocked on the cabin door, hoping to apologize for earlier and make a better introduction. She’d heard that Kaylia had really enjoyed one of Gus’s salads and had brought one as a further peace offering. The farm was noticeably different even from this morning, and the stacks of wood and stone neatly piled by the cabin had multiplied. A number of plots had been staked out, and Maru was impressed with the scale of work so far. She knocked again, still not receiving a response. She looked around and then took a peek through the window in the door. She couldn’t see much, but it didn’t look like Kaylia was around.

Off to her left, Maru heard something. Turning to look, she didn’t see anything, but then she heard it again, and she thought it was coming from the greenhouse. _Is someone else using it?_ Maru wondered, before curiosity got the better of her. Quiet as she could, she went up to the broken wall, waiting for a moment before trying to look. Now that she was closer, she could make out some kind of rhythmic sound, and then something that grabbed her full attention.

“...oh, sister...”

Maru peeked around the wall, and her jaw dropped at what she saw.

*****

Kaylia was sore, but it was a good sore that came from hard work. She was also tired, but it was an accomplished tired. She sat on her porch reviewing her handiwork, proud of what she’d finished before she’d decided she’d had enough for the day. All of that paled in comparison to her current problem, however.

She was horny as hell. She recognized that it hadn’t been Leah that put her in such a state, though the young artist was clearly attractive. No, it really only started coming on as she neared the end of the day’s toil. And now, she not only needed to do something about it, she needed to make a complete mess of herself doing it. It had been too long since she’d given herself a cum bath, and she was going to remedy that TONIGHT.

First, though, a regular bath. She walked over to the southern pond, stripped down, and jumped in. The water was bracing, and after she dunked her head under, she stood up and started washing the day’s grime away. She worked quickly, and exited the pond to dry off. She left her clothes where they were and walked over to the greenhouse. The farm was remote enough that she wasn’t worried about being seen naked, not that that ever mattered.

She lied down on the pile of cushions, surprised at how comfortable it was, and took her already hardened cock in one hand and a soft tit in the other. She knew exactly what memory would drive her over the edge tonight.

*****

_They were in Zoria’s chambers after a lengthy council session. Z had just returned from infiltrating some Ferngill military encampments and her debriefing seemed to stretch on forever. Both she and Kaylia badly needed each other’s body that night, and they had wasted no time._

_“Goddess,” Z gasped as Kay sucked her sister’s girlcock to the root, “you look so beautiful with my cock in your mouth.”_

_“As do you, little sister,” Kay replied, stroking the 7-inch_ _violet_ _member as she licked it from root to tip, “you’ve been such a good girl, you and your delicious girlcock deserve to be lavished with attention. I only hope you will allow me the honor of tasting you.”_

_“Oh, big sister, my seed_ _is yours, always and completely yours,_ _whenever you w_ _ish_ _. I only hope you_ _wi_ _ll honor me by sharing it.”_

_Kay_ _closed her eyes and moaned as she took Z’s cock into her mouth, bobbing her head in a slow and steady rhythm as Z’s hips matched her pace. They stayed like this for a while, their moans united as they both gave themselves over to their love and lust. Kay reached up and took her sister’s massive tits in her hands, squeezing them and teasing the nipples as she continued to suck and kiss her cock. Z continued to whisper filthy encouragement as she approached her first climax of the evening._

_“Oh, big sister, you’re going to make me cum!” Kay smiled wickedly._

_“Please, little sister, flood my mouth with cum!” she whispered, taking just the head back into her mouth and licking furiously._

_That phrase was guaranteed to send Z over the edge, and she screamed in delight as she came, the first hot jets of cum hitting the back of Kay’s throat. She swallowed greedily, jerking Z off to assist in milking her for as much of her delicious seed as possible. Her orgasm lasted for a full minute, and when it finally subsided, Kay pulled herself up and pulled Z into a deep kiss, sharing the last mouthful of cum with her dear little sister. They moaned in unison as their tongues danced, each swallowing a share._ _They calmed a little in that warm embrace, kissing and nuzzling each other._

_“Goddess, you were backed. Up.” Kay said, getting lost for the millionth time in Z’s deep grey eyes._

_“Tell me about it, I haven’t gotten laid in months.” Z responded, doing likewise in Kay’s crimson pools._

_They_ _held each other close_ _, catching up on all of the minor things that were of no importance to the running of an Empire, but of great importance to them personally. Z decompressed from her last major assignment, describing the more interesting people she got to know, especially the ones she would have been okay fucking. Kay went over council meetings, fights with Vendria, disagreements with Thalia, how insufferably vague Astria had been lately, and all the naughty details of Rosaria’s last big orgy amongst the nobility._

_“Wait,” Z asked, incredulously, “she got them to give each other blowjobs?!”_

_“Apparently, it was way easier than she was expecting, they’re both super gay and really turned on by incest, so she told them about watching you suck me off and they were at each others cocks like lightning.”_

_Z laughed, a deep, throaty laugh that never failed to cause Kay’s heart to flutter. “That’s crazy! Did she say why she did it?”_

_“She didn’t care for how they were treating some of the girls, and you know how she is at reading people_ _and getting payback_ _. She was hoping_ _the marquis would rail his uncle_ _into the ground_ _, but they were wiped out after their 69.”_

_“Typical. No stamina in the modern nobility.”_

_By this time, they had shifted so Z could sit in Kay’s lap. Z raised herself up, lifting her cock and balls, and Kay guided her own hardness into Z’s wet, warm cavern. Z rarely shaped male and female organs for herself at the same time on assignment, it was always easier to explain a single set to a mark if they didn’t match Z’s outward appearance. However, she always did when she was with Kay, it was one of the special things they kept for each other._

_Z slowly lowered herself down until she bottomed out, Kay’s cock a perfect fit, as always. She slowly started rocking her hips back and forth as they kissed._

_“Mmm,” Kay murmured, “I’ve really missed this.”_

_“Me, too.” Z offered one of her thick nipples to Kay, which she gladly accepted in her mouth. They stayed in this position for a while, slowly building up to another shared orgasm. Kay’s length fit Z perfectly, and it hit all the right spots as they moved their hips together. Kay loved how warm and velvety Z’s pussy was, and it was almost enough to distract her from the equally erotic sensation of having her face buried in the soft expanse of Z’s chest._

_“Oh!” Z said. “Hey, I want to try something.”_

_Kay let the mammoth tit fall from her mouth. “What have you got?” She was always ready to indulge Z’s flights of fancy, they usually ended well for both of them._

_Z shut her eyes, and Kay felt the warmth that accompanied Z’s talent for shapechanging. She also felt Z’s girlcock growing, getting obscenely long until it poked through the valley of Z’s and Kay’s sandwiched tits to pop out between them._

_“Soooooo...” Z started, trying to look innocent, “I was wondering if you’d be interested in watching me titfuck-slash-suck myself while we fucked.” Z felt Kay’s response in her crotch, Kay’s cock somehow getting harder than it already was._

_“First, fuck yes. Second, that is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard you say. Third, how did you figure this out?”_

_“I got really bored on that assignment, and this corporal had been sending ‘fuck-me’ eyes at me all day, so I was not only bored but super horny, and then I remembered you mentioning wishing you could suck yourself off, and I figured ‘why not?’.” She smiled, proud of herself._

_“Z, please, please, PLEASE let me see that.”_

_With_ _a devilish smile_ _, Z dropped her mouth to engulf herself, slowly bobbing her head in time with her hip movements._ _Kay started moving her own hips in tandem, fucking her sister and going absolutely wild with lust at this lewd display._

_“Goddess, that’s so sexy,” Kay said as Z moaned, her face softly slapping against her tits as she worked them around her shaft. After a moment, she stopped sucking._

_“Oh, Goddess, that’s so much more intense with you here.”_

_“You want some help sucking that magnificent girlcock?”_

_“Yes, please.”_

_Their pace increased as they furiously kissed around the head of Z’s obscenely long cock. They both knew it would be useless except for this exact activity, but that was sort of the point; Z loved her shapechanging abilities, and reveled in using them for Kay’s benefit. They took turns sucking, passing off to one another with searing kisses. Kay tried to take as much of it into her throat as she could, which had the benefit of plunging her face into Z’s impossibly soft breasts. Z would do the same, and Kay helped by thrusting harder, allowing Z to take more of the prodigious member down her warm throat._

_Before long, they both felt their impending climaxes boiling to the surface._

_“Sister, will you come with me?”_

_“Yes, sister, come with me. Make us a giant mess.”_

_Their mouths smashed together around Z’s cock head as Kay thrust, exploding deep within Z. That set Z off, and she started shooting incredible amounts of cum into their mouths and onto their faces and breasts. They were determined to swallow every last drop of Z’s cum, either directly from the source or by licking it off of whatever skin it landed on. This was the ultimate sign of their deep love and connection, this sharing of their very essence, and they were driven to tears by their love for each other and how beautiful they felt together._

_Later, after they had exhausted Z’s supply and Kay took the time to lick Z’s pussy clean, they laid back on Z’s bed, looking at themselves in the mirror mounted on the ceiling. They were an absolute mess; Z’s explosion had well covered them, and globs of cum remained in their hair, on their faces and tits, and Kay was pretty sure Z had hit the mirror. They laughed at the sight of it as they lay there, each with an arm under the other._

_“That. Was. Incredible.” Kay exhaled._

_“Thank you, I’m glad I thought of it.” Z smiled and nuzzled into Kay’s neck._

_“Did you come that hard the first time you did it?”_

_"I mean, I definitely didn’t need lunch afterwards, but it wasn’t that powerful.”_

_“Because you didn’t have a dick in your twat, you think?”_

_“Because I couldn’t share it with my big sister.”_

_“Aww, what a sweet, thoughtful little sister you are.” Kay kissed Z’s forehead, taking the opportunity to lick off a glob of cum._

_“Hey,” Z said, “divvy up.”_

_They laughed as Kay kissed Z, sharing the wealth._

*****

Kay could feel her orgasm building precipitously as she relived one of the sexiest encounters she had ever shared with Z. She started urging herself on, saying whatever filthy things she could think of.

“Oh, sister, please flood my mouth with your hot cum! Oh, Goddess, I love sucking your girlcock and swallowing your big loads...”

Her back arched as she got closer, her pace increasing furiously. She loved stroking herself, but she really wished she could suck herself off like Z could. The very thought threatened to send her over when she heard a loud gasp over her shoulder. _Someone’s watching me_ , she realized with a start.

That did it.

“OH FUUUUUCK!” she shouted as she exploded, her cock shooting jet after jet of molten cum onto her face and tits. She tried to aim herself into her mouth and was partially successful, and she swallowed as much as she could. The orgasm seemed to last forever, and she kept stroking her beautiful violet girlcock until her reserves were well and truly spent.

She collapsed on the cushion pile, utterly covered in her issue and well pleased with herself. She decided she’d sleep here and clean up in the morning. It also seemed appropriate to allow her uninvited audience time to clear out “undetected”. She frowned at this, wondering if she should have been more circumspect, before deciding she didn’t care. She squeezed her tits between her arms and lightly played with her cum-covered nipples, relaxing into the cushions and drifting off into a deep sleep.

*****

Maru quickly climbed the fence to the second-floor balcony and slipped into her room. She couldn’t believe what she’d just witnessed, and she knew she had to tell Haley about it as soon as possible. She grabbed a pad and pen and hopped into her bed, immediately beginning to write down a description of the lurid scene. _She has a dick_ , she repeated in her head as she detailed everything as best she could. She found it incredibly easy given how fresh and vivid it was in her memory, and she finished the account quickly. As she read it over, she suddenly realized that she wasn’t disgusted by it at all. It was certainly fascinating from a biological standpoint, but she had never heard of intersex individuals being so well... developed.

She also realized that she was _extremely_ horny and needed to do something about it. She quickly stripped down and reached under her bed for one of her “little helpers”. She flipped it on and slid it into her very wet snatch, lifting a tit to suck as she slowly fucked herself. Before long, she pictured Haley as the one sucking on her big tits as Kaylia thrust into her, the tall farmer ramming her violet member into Maru’s willing pussy. The thought drove her wild, and as she neared release, she heard herself say “Oh, Kaylia, please flood my mouth with your hot cum!” She pulled her vibe from her pussy and sucked on it, the sensation of it filling her throat sending her into a massive orgasm. Her hips bucked uncontrollably as she imagined driving Kaylia wild with her mouth. She soon crested the wave of pleasure and collapsed, completely sated.

She turned her vibrator off and cleaned it before replacing it under her bed and pulling the covers over her. Sleep, followed quickly. She dreamed that night of Haley and of a tall, violet-skinned goddess with big tits and a beautiful girlcock, and of she and her love kissing and sucking them until they all came in unison.

They were excellent dreams.


	3. Meetings, Messages, and That Dragon, Capitalism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New friends, new questions, and a villain appears.

Kaylia awoke with a start as the skies above began to open. The rain was cool, but not as cold as she would have expected for an early spring rain. It was still quite dark out, and she slowly made her way to the pile of clothes by the southern pond. She took her time gathering her things and making her way back to the cottage, the rain washing the sticky remains of her incredible orgasm away. She laid the clothes over the dining chair and set it a few feet in front of the fireplace, hoping the heat from the dying embers would dry them out. She climbed into the creaky bed and wrapped herself in the blankets. Before long, sleep claimed her once again.

*****

Spring 3, Year 1

The rain was expected to continue through most of the day, but would make way for clear skies tomorrow, or so said the morning weather report. Kay had casually flipped the television on for the first time since arriving in town, and the local morning show was acceptably pleasant and low-key. She realized she should probably pay attention to at least the weather report on a daily basis, and the ads for nightly reruns of _Queen of Sauce_ sounded like a great way to end the day, but she otherwise tuned out the box as she got ready.

She regarded the large assortment of seeds she had gathered from yesterday’s clearing work. Acorns, rock pine cones, and maple seeds from the logging; and a broad variety of Goddess knew what from the small shrubs and other undergrowth. Kay figured the random seeds would be good filler if she wanted to have crops in the ground, though she wasn’t sure what she’d get. The tree seeds presented a solution to a different sort of problem, as Kay started fashioning them into field rations. She had learned this trick on the battlefield, where such rations were nutritious, energizing, and woefully necessary in the absence of a proper resupply.

She stored them in a chest along with her tools, one of a pair she had cobbled together the day previous. The other was just outside the cabin and currently held the bounty of her space-clearing: fiber bundles, jars of sap she had collected from trees otherwise labeled for demolition, another large pile of assorted seeds, and a surprising amount of anthracite and bituminous coal left over from rock-smashing. She’d even found a lump of copper ore randomly, and had wondered about what to do with it.

Kay thought about the day ahead of her. She didn’t need to water the field, the rain would graciously shoulder that task. She knew some additional logging would likely be the most productive use of her time, but not in this weather. She eyed the fishing pole and decided a bit of angling was in order. She grabbed it and, passing the chest outside, also the copper nugget. She still needed to meet the blacksmith, this seemed a good opportunity for it.

After trying her hand at catching some fish, anyway.

*****

“Turn this way, something about that line still doesn’t look right.”

Haley shifted on the box as Emily looked at her sister’s reflection in the array of mirrors before them. Emily had developed serious skill as a seamstress over the past year, thanks in no small part to Haley. The sisters discovered a shared passion for haute couture, and they eagerly collaborated on all manner of dresses, gowns, tunics, blouses, pants, suits, pantsuits, and hats. While they both involved with design, Emily was a master of production and tailoring, while Haley took photos of finished pieces that looked straight out of a professional magazine layout. They worked great together as a team, but that should be no surprise for two young sisters with deep bonds forged over shared trauma.

The dress in question was a sleek bodycon/sheath hybrid number Emily had been thinking about for a while, in a fabulous black satin she’d found on a fabric trip to the city. Currently, the girls were considering the key feature, an asymmetrical skirt that sat above Haley’s left knee before dropping dramatically, tapering to a point above her right ankle. As it was still being stitched together, they hadn’t had Haley walk yet to get a sense for its movement; the concept looked great in the sketches, but something about the realized look was...

“Is it the skirt drop?” Haley asked.

“Maybe.” Emily frowned. “It just looks... off? Like it’s off-balance, but I know it isn’t.”

Haley studied the skirt and immediately saw what Emily did. The skirt cut a pretty severe diagonal across her legs, and the effect was off-putting. “Wait, how about this?” Haley took hold of the outside edges of the skirt, holding the left edge in place as she raised the right side. The resulting line descended gracefully until turning sharply at about the middle of the right thigh and dropping almost straight down.

“Ooh, I like that,” Emily agreed. She helped Haley out of the dress and put it back on the form, kneeling down to start marking the needed alterations as Haley slipped into her pajamas.

“So...” Emily said, casting a devious look out of the corner of her eye at her sister, “how’s Maru doing?”

Haley sighed as she dropped into a big beanbag chair. “She’s still super nervous about talking to her parents. I mean, I get it, I totally get it, but I HATE that we can’t just be out.”

“You think they would have a problem with that?” Emily looked over with concern, she wouldn’t have thought Robin and Demetrius could be that close-minded.

Haley shook her head. “Oh! No, I don’t mean about her being gay or anything like that. Because, well...”

“Sebastian.” the sisters said in unison.

“Like, I’m sure Robin would be super chill with it. It’s mostly her dad has pretty high expectations for her, you know? She’s so smart, she will absolutely change the world someday, and I don’t think he likes the idea of anyone getting in the way of that?”

Emily nodded sagely. “His little girl is becoming a woman. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a parent. Sounds like they’ve got a communication problem.”

Haley nodded in agreement. “Did you ever feel like that when I was younger?”

Emily got up and dropped into the beanbag next to her sister, throwing an arm around her and snuggling in. “You know, I did a little when you first told me about Maru. But I was also so proud of you putting yourself out there for someone like that, it made it more manageable. There’s a pretty big difference between me and Mr. Wright, though.”

Haley looked at Emily, curious.

“I’ve gone through this on both sides. Also, I, too, am a woman.”

“Ah!” they said, again in unison, before devolving into laughter. Haley snuggled deeper into Emily’s arm, closing her eyes and appreciating her big sister’s presence.

“But, really,” Emily said, “how _was_ she?” She laughed as Haley smacked her in the face with a pillow.

“She was good, we really miss each other. We both needed it.”

“Did you get caught? That new farmer moved in two days ago, you know.”

Haley’s face turned beet red as she tried to sink as far down into the beanbag as possible. “I mean, we didn’t know that, so we thought we were still okay...”

Emily’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no! You didn’t wake her up, did you?”

“...maybe?”

Emily’s body shook with laughter, and Haley punched her in the shoulder. “I’m sorry! It’s just, oh my Goddess, that’s hilarious!” She wiped a tear from her eye as she calmed down. “Did she at least wait for you to finish?”

Haley sat up. “That’s just it! We didn’t know she heard us until yesterday morning, she left us a note apologizing for perving on us!”

“NO.”

“Yeah! She didn’t want to interrupt us and then she admitted to watching us fuck and getting off on it!” Emily blanched a bit; she loved her sister, but she wasn’t super interested in all the gory details of her sister’s sex life.

“Do you need to find a new hideaway?”

“No, and that’s the crazy part. She said she wouldn’t tell anyone, she just wants advance warning when we’re going to be around.”

Emily thought for a moment. That absolutely tracked with the read she’d gotten on Kaylia at the Saloon. “Well, I’d say you got off easy.”

“Oh, ha ha.” Haley rolled her eyes.

“I’m guessing you and Maru snuck off without introducing yourselves, then.”

“Yeah, we were pretty embarrassed. Why?”

“I think you two would like her. Like, a lot.”

“Have _you_ met her?”

“I did, at the Saloon that night, actually. She and Gus were joking around like they were old friends. Caroline told me she was exactly the same way with Pierre, she introduced herself in French and they talked like that for 10 minutes.”

“What?”

“It’s all they could talk about exercising yesterday.”

“What does she look like?”

“Well, she’s tall, a lot taller than me, even, and she’s so pretty. She’s got this silver-white hair in this RPG hero cut, you know, spiky with a headband?” Haley nodded. “I bet she’ll grow it out, it didn’t seem right on her. And her skin is this amazing shade of light purple, I’ve never seen anything like it. I heard Dr. Becker mention something about Imperial medical treatments having weird side effects like that sometimes.”

Haley looked at Emily. “Did you get a read on her?” she asked tentatively, referring to her sister’s strange psychic talents.

Emily nodded. “I did, sort of. I played it off like usual, you know, real moon child stuff, and I think she bought it. I _think_ so.”

“What did you see?”

Emily looked away for a moment, deciding what to say. “There were some things I’m not comfortable sharing. I’m not trying to hide anything from you, but she’s... complicated.”

That was a first for Haley. The sisters shared everything with each other, and this was the first time Emily ever felt the need to hold something back. She could tell it hurt Emily deeply, having to do that, and she hugged her sister.

“It’s okay, Emmy, I trust you. Thank you for telling me.”

Emily sniffed a little as she hugged Haley back. “Thank you.”

“She’s not dangerous, is she?”

“Goddess, no! I do know that this is exactly where she needs to be, and that she needs all of us just as much as we and this whole town need her. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt us, I sure of it.”

*****

The splintered remains of a bucket flew off into the sea, propelled by a massive kick.

“DAMN YOU, YOU STUPID FISH! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!”

Kay’s luck had not been great that morning. Arranged on the pier behind her were the fruits of her few hours’ labor: three pieces of driftwood, five clumps of sickly green algae, four maki rolls’ worth of seaweed, a six-pack of Joja Cola (caught as individual cans), two pairs of broken glasses, a veritable bounty of old JojaOnline trial CDs, six lumps of otherwise indeterminate garbage, and two minuscule sardines, currently swimming in an intact bucket of freshly-drawn water.

Kay placed her hand to her head, breathing deeply and attempting to calm down. Fishing as a pastime was supposed to be relaxing, a chance to kick back and maybe catch some dinner. It’s not like she was sport fishing and in the hunt for a 500-pound trophy tuna, for Goddess’ sake. But the fish she seemed to be attracting were not the kind to briefly attempt escape and then resign themselves to their fate. These were vicious survivalists, using every ounce of stamina and strength they had to triumph in a desperate struggle of life and death. Which, Kay mused, was completely accurate in the fish’s case.

With a resigned sigh, she flicked the rod, casting again into a pitiless sea. The rain had let up a bit as the day progressed, and Kay was determined to make a go of this. Pride was on the line, but also a leg up on the next few days’ cultivation: Kay hoped to turn her catch into enough money to start crop expansion a little early, rather than wait for the parsnips to mature. At this point, it would mean the difference of one day, but if other crops grew at similarly accelerated rates to the parsnips, one day could mean a substantial profit.

That thought turned Kay’s mind to something she had been mulling over, the question of what she actually wanted to accomplish with this farm. Initially, it was an opportunity, an escape to a life far preferable to that of a celebrated military commander for a ruthless empire. Just three days in, however, she realized there had to be more to it than that.

The reactions she got meeting the locals, how excited they were that she was getting the farm back on its legs, the subtle signs around town pointing to... to something on the horizon, something _bad_. There were pieces missing, though. Kay couldn’t quite put her finger on whatever tragedy might befall Pelican Town and its residents. She likely needed to meet everyone first before she could see the entire picture, and decided that would be her next priority.

There was another thing bothering her, too. Everyone that knew them swore up and down, to a man, that she was the exact image of Kimberly Gardner in her prime. Based on Daniel’s description of his lovely wife, Kay was positive there was no actual similarity between Kim and herself apart from the rather prodigious endowments. Wouldn’t he have said something if they bore more of a resemblance? Also, she was heartbroken to hear about their only child dying in a car crash, dooming that branch of their family tree, but if that was the case, where could a grandchild come from after that? Why hadn’t anyone asked _that_ question yet? Puzzles upon puzzles.

She shook herself from her maudlin reverie and looked down at a pile of fish on the dock, and then at the sizable flounder hanging from the line currently in her hand. Had she caught all of these fish on autopilot while she pondered her situation? Willy _had_ mentioned something about not thinking too hard about it. After a moment’s contemplation, she shrugged and started packing up Poseidon's bounty.

“That was pretty cool.” a low voice next to Kay said, startling her. She turned to see a young man in a black hoodie and black skinny jeans standing beside her, taking a slow drag on a cigarette. His face was young and fair, his features delicate, and his hair was dyed coal-black and styled in a long side mullet. Everything about him screamed ‘goth twink.’

“Thanks,” Kay replied.

They remained there in silence as Kay cleaned up the rest of her catch and the goth stared out at the ocean, flicking the ash from his cigarette periodically.

“I’m Kaylia,” she eventually introduced herself, getting a brief side-eye in return.

“Sebastian,” he replied. Kay nodded.

Silence. Waves lapped against the pier as the wind picked up a little.

“I think you know my mom?” he said, “Robin? The carpenter?”

Kay nodded. “I do. She seems really nice.”

“Yeah. I like her.”

More silence. A seagull landed on a nearby post, regarding the two humans briefly, before taking to the air again.

“You come out here to smoke often?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty chill.”

Still more silence. A distant foghorn tolled, warning passing ships of dangerous waters.

“You’re working on Red Dragon farm, huh?”

“Sure am.”

“How’s that going?”

“Slowly.”

“Oh, sure.”

It was growing increasingly more difficult for Kay to hold back laughter during these pregnant pauses in the conversation. The half-formed smirks she caught on Sebastian’s face told a similar story from his perspective.

“So... you just killing time until the coven meeting, then?”

“Ugh, fuckin’ drama queen bitches, sometimes I can’t _even_.”

They looked at each other dead in the eyes, and Sebastian let out a brief snort. Kay shrieked, peals of laughter escaping as the dam finally broke. Sebastian looked on, grinning in victory.

“Kay Gardner,” she said after she recovered, extending a hand.

“Seb McCarthy,” he replied, accepting the handshake.

Once again, silence. This time punctuated with snickering from both of them.

“Well, talk to you later.” Kay hefted her pack and set off down the pier.

“Sure thing,” Seb replied, flicking his cigarette butt into a nearby can.

The more people she met, the more Kay realized she _really_ liked it here.

*****

Kay was very thankful the rain had decided to pick up on her way back to the farm, and after a quick change of clothes, she barely smelled of fish at all. She dropped the fish as well as some random bivalves she dug out of the beach in the shipping box. If Pierre was right, there’d be a nice little paycheck in the mailbox in the morning.

Her stomach was rumbling, and the field rations did not look the least bit appetizing at all. Looking through her wallet, she was pleased to find her previous day’s scrounging left her with enough for a meal. So, girding herself against the rain once again, she set off for the tavern.

The Stardrop Saloon was quite a bit livelier that evening than it was previously, possibly due to the rain. Gus and Emily were behind the bar, Pam was in front of it, and Shane was by the fireplace as before. Willy was sitting at a table near Pam, his pipe lit and a snifter of cognac resting nearby, chatting amiably with the older woman. Leah sat at the table Kay had occupied previously, splitting a large bowl of salad with a rather gawky man in spectacles and a green tweed blazer (with leather elbow pads!), messy brown hair with matching mustache. Over to her right, she heard the clack of billiard balls accompanied by the chiptune music and sound effects of an arcade. She looked over to see Sebastian leaning over a handsome billiard table, lining up a shot, while a taller man in a blue hoodie and a big mop of blond hockey hair looked on, sipping a beer. Kay couldn’t see who was playing the arcade game.

She caught Gus’s eye, who nodded professionally as she gave him the universal “drink, please” signal. She turned and smiled as Leah beckoned her over.

“I’m guessing you must be the town sawbones,” she said as she approached, offering a hand. He nodded before standing and wiping his hands, accepting the handshake.

“Kaylia Gardner, may I present Harvey Becker, M.D.” Leah introduced them before gesturing to the chair across from her. Kay accepted and sat with the pair.

“Are you settling in okay?” Harvey asked, returning to his own seat.

“I am, thank you,” Kay replied, raising her right sleeve and flexing a bit, “it’s really helping me maintain this girlish figure.” Leah nearly choked on a spinach leaf, turning red at the display, before she noticed a spiderweb of scarring all along Kay’s bicep.

“I’ll bet,” Harvey replied, “I’m sure clearing the land would be a great all-around workout. Just be sure to take proper breaks and avoid over-exerting yourself.”

“Harvey takes everyone’s health very seriously,” Leah added, “you know, ‘eat a balanced diet’, ‘at least thirty minutes of activity twice a day’, ‘no, pizza is not a food group.’”

“I said pizza could be quite healthful!” Harvey defended himself, “I just maybe should have recognized that ‘kale, tofu-sausage, and vegan cheese pizza’ would be as joyless as it sounds.”

“Don’t remind me,” Gus said, bringing over and setting down Kay’s cranberry candy on the table. “At least I talked you down from the alfalfa sprouts. Well, lady farmer?”

All this talk of pizza... “What are the chances I can get a large with pepperoni and extra cheese?” Kay asked. Harvey shook his head sadly.

“I’d say pretty fair.” Gus winked at Kay.

“Alright, what are my chances of getting that but also with a couple shots of hot sauce in the pizza sauce?”

“Ooh, a _spicy_ chonky boy. Coming right up!” Gus ducked back behind the bar to start prepping the pie as Emily turned to him.

“Gus, you are too old to call anything ‘chonky’, it sounds weird coming from you.”

“Hey, I’m in touch with the youth of today!” He turned and shot finger guns at Leah, Harvey, and Kay, who all shook their heads in disappointment. “Aww, youth is wasted on the young.”

They shared a laugh as Kay picked up her drink. “I should make the rounds with the ‘youth,’ as it were. Nice to meet you, Harvey.” She took a sip and rose.

“You going to need any help with that pizza?” Leah asked, giving Kay big kitten eyes.

“We’ll see.”

Kay walked over to the game room and inspected the pool table. Whomever had solids was getting worked, and it was pretty clear Sebastian had stripes. He practically stalked the table, sizing up shots and angles as he applied a bit of chalk to his cue.

“Who’s the sacrifice?” Kay asked, getting a laugh from the blond boy leaning against the wall. Up close, Kay could easily guess his identity and had to tamp down on a sudden stab of guilt.

“That’d be me,” the blond said, a broad smile on his face.

“Kay Gardner.”

“Sam Freeman, cheers.” They clinked drinks. He looked a lot like his father.

“Honestly, I don’t know why I keep playing him, he’s so good.”

“You’d make anyone look good at this, pal,” Sebastian interjected, nailing a tricky two-bank shot to send the 11-ball into a side pocket.

“You’re doing a pretty good job on your own, _pal_ ,” Sam replied, taking another swig of his beer.

“I like to think you play not for fame or glory, but for the pleasure of the company it brings.”

“Puh. Leeeze,” a feminine voice behind Kay said, “You are absolutely in love with being cock of the walk on that table.”

Sebastian considered the comment before his next shot. “Okay, fair.” *CLACK* *THUD* *THUNK*

Kay turned and lost track of her breath. At one of the arcade cabinets was a girl with striking purple hair wearing a sleeveless blue trench coat over a black tank top, jeans, and tall leather boots. The light of the arcade screen cast her face in a blue glow, giving her soft features and almost ethereal quality. She turned and smiled at Kay before a loud bang grabbed her attention back to the screen. “Be with you in a second!”

“Abby, give it a rest!” Sam called, “You’ve been trying to break that high score for weeks, take a break and meet this new broad!” Sam’s face instantly turned red. “Uh, beg your pardon, ma’am. Probably time to ease off on the suds.”

“You think?” Sebastian asked over his shoulder, before resting his cue on the table and turning around. “Also, you been hitting the detective novels again? ‘Meet this new broad?’ Who says that?”

“I said sorry! Sometimes my mouth runs ahead of my brain.” Sam smiled meekly.

“Sometimes?” Abby snarked, turning to lean against the cabinet to meet the new girl. _Wow, she’s tall_ was her first reaction.

_I really like this town a lot,_ Kay thought to herself. She turned to Sam and smiled.

“Don’t worry about it, I hear that can happen in the presence of unearthly beauty.” She struck a pose, putting her face in profile and working it a little. Sam’s jaw dropped a little, and out of the corner of her eye, she was highly satisfied to see Abby’s jaw drop a little as well.

“I mean, yeah, if you’re into that sort of thing,” Seb muttered, lining up another shot. Kay snickered.

“Also, pro-tip: never call chicks broads.” The comment caught the boys completely off-guard. Sam snorted into his beer, and Seb completely botched his shot, sending the cue ball flying off the table right at Kay’s head. Without missing a beat or putting a hair out of place, Kay plucked the ball out of the air as though it were nothing, offering it to Sam.

“Your shot, I think?”

“Whoa...” Sam stared dumbly at the ball until Seb nudged him with the end of his cue. He graciously took it and set it on the table, looking around at possible shots.

Kay smiled and turned to face who must assuredly have been Abigail Chandler. They looked each other over, and Kay found her breath stolen _again_ when she noticed Abby biting her lip a little. Complicating matters was that Abby was a stone cold fox, curvy in all the right places and blessed with a very nice pair of breasts, D cups at least.

Abigail was in a similar boat, struck almost dumb by how beautiful Kay was. When her parents told her about the new arrival, they’d conveniently forgotten to mention that she was a violet-skinned Amazon with ‘smother me, please’ tits. Even though it was obvious she had been working hard earlier, her disheveled hair and clothes did nothing to hide the innate confidence she gave off.

“Hi,” Abby eventually said first, doing her very best not to start twirling her hair around a finger, Goddess, who even _does_ that.

“Hey,” Kay said, giving Abby ‘the nod’ as nonchalantly as she could and absolutely failing. _What is with the girls in this town,_ Kay thought to herself, _there’s gotta be something in the water._

Sam was oblivious to all this, his attention completely occupied by the pool table.

Sebastian was having a fantastic time watching this utterly cliche debacle unfold. He really liked Kay already, he could tell she would be blast to have around. He decided on an appropriate level of disgust before speaking.

“Ugh, it’s like high school all over again. You guys gonna start passing notes in study hall? Yoba, this is almost as bad as watching Alex mack on Haley.”

Kay’s eyebrow raised as she tucked that piece of information away. As least some part of her brain was functioning normally, though she was a little worried at the implications of that part being _COLLECTION OF BATTLEFIELD INTELLIGENCE_.

“Kay Gardner, your pizza is ready.” Gus’s voice called over the intercom in the game room. The announcement broke the spell the two women had cast over each other, and a rather insistent growl from Kay’s stomach reminded her she needed to eat.

“I should go deal with that,” she said, finding herself drawn into Abigail’s deep indigo eyes. “It was very nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too!” Sam said, getting up to wave and completely botching his shot in the process. The cue ball sailed right into the corner pocket with a satisfying *THUNK*.

Abby nodded. “Will you be around?” _Okay,_ Abby thought, _no more drinking before talking to impossibly hot girls, you can’t word good._

Kay nodded. “Yeah, probably.” _‘Yeah, probably’?!_ _Pull yourself together, woman._

“Okay then.”

“GOODBYE, KAY.” Seb was getting dizzy from his eyes constantly rolling.

Kay laughed and waved, turning to Seb and mouthing “thank you” as she went to get her pizza.

Abby glared at Sebastian. “Why do you always have to be a jerk! She’s just trying to be friendly!”

Sebastian placed his cue on the table. “Okay, keep it 100: how close were you to completely submitting to our new resident Valkyrie?”

Abby’s eyes narrowed. “...you don’t know, maybe she was going to submit to me.”

“Oh, yeah, right,” Sam interjected, “I doubt you could get her to submit to anything. She’d fold you like a piece of paper, and you would thank her for it.”

Abby glared at Sam, refusing to admit he was right. Sebastian rolled his eyes and changed the subject. “You want in? I’ll rack up?”

“Oh, sure.” Abby went to select a cue off the rack.

“Hey!” Sam protested. “Our game isn’t even done yet!”

Sebastian sighed. “8 ball, off the rail, side pocket.” *CLACK* *THUD* *THUNK*

“...oof, brutal.”

*****

“I see you’ve met Abigail.” Leah smirked as Kay returned with a very appetizing pizza. Harvey was on his way out and bid them both a nice evening, suggesting Kaylia make an appointment for a checkup soon.

“She’s very nice.” Kay said, picking up a large slice (good), folding it between her fingers (excellent), and taking a big bite (cue the angelic trumpets). She audibly moaned as she savored that bite, cheesy and warm and SPICY, as requested. As if she needed further proof that Gus knew what he was doing. She gestured at the pie, an offer which Leah accepted.

“This smells great,” Leah said as she took a bite of pizza, chewed, and then realized how spicy it was. Gus appeared at her side with a big pitcher of ice water and a second cranberry candy for Kay, who accepted it with a nod and seemed otherwise unaffected by the devil’s own slice. Leah scrambled to fill her glass and downed it with obscene haste, regaining her breath as the intense burning began to subside.

“You heard me order it, the fault lies with you,” Kay said between bites.

“How can you handle it, it’s so spicy!”

“When I’m in the right mood, I can handle anything.”

“Do you always turn everything you say into shameless flirting?”

“It’s a gift.”

Leah laughed, then took a much smaller bite from her slice. Kay was exactly her kind of friend, she realized.

*****

“So, what just happened there?” Sebastian asked, leaning against the wall as Abby lined up on the 7-ball.

“I don’t know, I just-” *CLACK* *THUNK* “-kinda went love dumb? Like, you have seen her, right? 6-foot-gorgeous, built like a statue by a horny sculptor?” She walked around the table, considering her shots and trying very hard not to glance at Kay and Leah out in the tavern proper.

“I mean, yes, and I definitely understand the allure, but come on, Abs! You looked like she knocked you over and was firmly stepping directly on your ‘YES MISTRESS PLEASE’ button in 4-inch-heeled boots.”

Abby rolled her eyes as she lined up another shot. “...okay, you’re not wrong.”

“Thank you. What are you going to do about it?”

Abby’s shot went wide, and she blew a strand of hair out of her face. She went and leaned next to Sebastian. “Nothing right now. I just met her.”

“So? I bet she’s up for it.”

Abby looked over at Kay, who was clearly having a fun time with Leah. “Up for fun times with a normal girl, maybe.”

Seb sighed, there it was. “I’m sure she would at least hear you out. Look, she seems super chill, and I have no doubt she is a giant freak in the sheets. Who knows? Play it right, and I bet you cast a spell on her with your ‘magic wand’.”

“Cut it out!” Abby punched him lightly in the shoulder. “It’s a big deal to me! What if she’s like ‘eww, boy parts? No thanks!’? She’s so cool, I really want to be friends and get to know her.”

“Abby.” She turned to look at him, his face turned serious. “I get it, really. I know how lonely you’ve been lately, and yeah, maybe getting nasty right after you’ve met is a terrible idea, but you owe it to yourself to TALK TO HER. Here.”

Sebastian grabbed Abby by her shoulders and turned her in Kay’s direction. “You are going to take that big dick energy I know you’ve got in you and walk over there. You’re going to sit in that chair, you’re going to take a piece of her pizza and eat it, and you’re going to look her right in the eye as you do it. Now, I doubt she’s going to throw you on the table and have her way with you, because she’s new in town and I’m sure she’s as scared of us as we are of her, but I promise you, if you don’t go over there RIGHT. NOW. You will regret it.”

Abby knew Seb was exactly right. She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and started towards Kay.

“Good luck, kid.” Seb smiled. It was entirely possible he’d just sent his best friend to her sexy doom, but at least she could say she tried, and that’s what she needed.

“Oh, hey, is it my turn?” Sam asked, coming back with another round. Seb sighed, taking the offered glass.

“Yes, you’re solids.”

*****

“How do you find time to make the clay?” Kay asked, utterly fascinated with the conversation and where it had gone.

“Oh, it super easy!” Leah replied, slowly working her way through her slice. In the time it had taken her to eat half of it, Kay had demolished half of the entire pizza with no signs of slowing down. “There are a lot of good deposits around if you know where to look, especially for earthenware, and it’s a simple process refining it for use. I actually send a bunch to Pierre sometimes, both finished pieces and the raw materials, he can turn a fair profit with them and it’s one of the reasons I’m able to live out here and be an artist without starving.”

“Augmented by the occasional kindness of near-strangers, no doubt,” Kay smirked, getting a laugh from the artist.

“No doubt.”

Gus brought a pair of refills and the girls clinked glasses.

“So what about you? Any hobbies you’re looking to pick up?”

Kay thought about it for a moment. “I mean, I have no idea when I’d have time for them yet, but yeah, I have one or two.”

“Well? Out with it, woman!”

“Okay, okay, so, before I was... before,” Kay started, then backpedaled, not wanting to make things awkward, “I used to sing. Play a few instruments. Not professionally or anything, but I really liked playing for myself, you know? I kind of gave it up for a while, and then some... stuff happened, but now I’m here.”

“Oh, wow. I’m sorry if I’m dredging things up-” Leah’s face showed an earnest level of concern at making Kay feel bad, and Kay cut her off.

“No, you’re fine, it’s good to talk about, I’m just still working through it.”

“You want to start again?” Leah asked, trying to switch back to a happier topic.

“I think I already have. I caught myself singing yesterday when I was working to clear the fields, I think I just stared subconsciously singing along with my work because I felt better than I had in a long time.” She also remembered hearing one of the girls joining her from clear across the farm, which made her extra happy that she might have someone to sing _with_ again.

“That’s so awesome!” Leah smiled, and then noticed Kay going for her sixth slice. “Do you eat at all while you’re working? I’ve never seen someone inhale pizza like this.”

Kay smirked. “I try to keep some snacks around, but they’re pretty dire.” She looked around, conspiratorially, before ducking her head down a bit.

“Hey, can I ask you kind of a weird, slightly personal question?”

Leah nodded. “How personal?”

“It’s... you’ve been here, what, a year?”

“Just about.”

“Since you’ve lived here, have you noticed...” Kay trailed off as she tried to find appropriate words for this question.

“Noticed what?” Leah asked, her curiosity peaking.

“Have you noticed any changes in your appearance?”

“I mean, my acne finally cleared up, something like that, you mean?”

Kay frowned. “Not exactly. Have you gotten... bigger?”

Leah blinked. “Bigger?”

“Yeah, you know...” Kay took her unoccupied hand and gestured in front of her boob. “ _Bigger_.”

Leah’s eyes widened as he comprehended. “Oh! Oh, uh...” Actually, that was a good question. She thought about it for a moment. “I don’t think so. Like, I haven’t needed new bras or anything since I moved here, but now that you mention it, I feel like I’m filling them better? Kind of like ‘growing into them’ when I was younger, but not nearly that drastic.”

“Okay.” Kay sat back and took a drink. A feeling had been growing in the back of her mind, something about this place was affecting the townsfolk, it _couldn’t_ be natural. Could it?

“So, not that I’m curious or anything,” Leah started to ask, knocking Kay out of her thoughts, “but why do you ask?” She was surprised to see Kay blush, her violet skin turning an adorable deep rose color.

“I’ve noticed a lot of the women here are, you know...”

“Bigger than average?” Leah finished for her.

“No! Well, I mean, maybe, but I don’t really have a good scale of reference for that.” Kay honked her boobs for emphasis, getting a snort from Leah. “But they’re all super hot!” It was Leah’s turn to blush, and Kay noticed what she’d just implied. “Oh, yeah, absolutely you, no joke, but, like, it’s unreal!”

Leah snorted again at that. She loved how Kay’s frantic response was perfectly earnest and also slightly insulting, like well-meaning negging.

“Well, thank you, all the same... uh oh, here comes trouble.”

Leah saw Abby striding to their table over Kay’s shoulder. Kay looked at Leah, then turned to see Abby walk over, grab the free chair to spin it around, straddle it, and take a piece of pizza. She looked directly in Kay’s eyes the whole time.

“Hey,” she said, low and sultry, as she gave Kay ‘the nod’ and took a bite of pizza.

Kay glanced at Leah, who had refilled her water glass and was pushing it in Abby’s direction. Kay knew what she _wanted_ to say, but wondered if it would come across as catty. Leah, somehow, had read Kay’s mind.

“An amazing floor routine so far,” she said in a hushed tone, setting Kay up.

“Right you are, Leah,” Kay responded in kind, “now all she needs to do is stick the landing.”

Abby subconsciously knew they weren’t making fun of her, but the mention of a ‘landing’ worried her for a moment. That was all it took for her to notice her mouth was ON FIRE. Seeing the nearby glass of water, she swallowed the bite and then pushed through the agony to slowly pick up the glass, take a reasonable swallow, and place it back on the table. _Don’t show them your fear or pain_ , she thought to herself. After a moment, she thought she would be alright.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t stop the massive belch that followed. Worse yet, she directed it right at Kay’s face. The bar erupted in laughter as Abby, mortified, awaited the terrible result. The look on Kay’s face said it all, really, a look of utter disdain.

Kay calmly took a napkin, wiped her face off, placed it on her plate, then reached into a back pocket, withdrawing a small notepad. She waited for Leah to get ahold of herself, which took a while because she was laughing so hard her sides hurt, but she got it under control. With that, Kay wrote something down on the pad.

“...ten out of ten.” Kay broke out in a grin as she turned the pad around, revealing a large numeral ‘10’. “An incredible performance all around!” With that, she dropped the pad and pulled Abby into a big hug.

Abby leaned in to the hug, not sure whether to cry in relief or shout for joy. The angle Kay pulled her in at meant her boobs were now smooshed into Kay’s larger, incredibly soft chest. It felt wonderful, and she cursed the tingling that immediately started between her legs. She only hoped that Kay didn’t notice.

Kay was having the exact same thoughts.

*****

Kay offered to walk Leah home and asked Abby to join them. The rain had again tapered off by the time they left the Saloon, and the air smelled of ozone and the damp of spring rain. The walk was very pleasant, and the girls picked up the hobby thread for conversation. Abby and Leah hadn’t ever really talked much, and they were both happily surprised to learn that they had some common interests. By the time they reached Leah’s cabin, the two had made coffee plans to get to know each other better.

Kay and Abby milled around outside for a moment, before Kay asked “Would you like to see the farm?”

“Yes, very much.” Abby replied.

They walked north in silence, the tension having ramped up considerably after parting with Leah. Before long, they reached the farm’s southern edge, and Abby could see that Kay had done quite a bit of work already. They weaved their way through trees and boulders to the cabin and the active field. The moon started to peak through the clouds as Kay walked Abby through her immediate plans, showing her the staked out plots and describing what crops would go where.

As they talked, Abby recognized the fire within Kay as she described her plans. She had always known that she wanted to be confident and strong, and to be with someone confident and strong, and Kay was all that and a huge pair of tits. But now, presented with the reality of a powerful, confident woman that could likely crush Abby’s head between her thighs like a grape, she realized she wanted more. She wanted to know what Kay dreamed of, what scared her, what she wanted most in life. She very much wanted to be a part of that life, no matter the capacity, and that thought _terrified_ her. She hardly knew this woman, and still, she wanted all of that, worse than she ever wanted anything in her life.

“...so, hopefully I can get some cauliflower in the ground tomorrow and get that rolling. I’m pretty excited to see that develop.” Kay noticed a far-off look in Abby’s eyes and chuckled. “I’m sorry, this must be super boring.”

Abby was hanging on her every word. “Oh, no, mistress! I think it’s amazing”

“Well, I...”

It took them a moment to register what had just happened. Kay looked at Abby with curiosity, as Abby looked at Kay with embarrassment.

“Did... did you just...”

“Yes,” Abby admitted, “and I’m so sorry, it just slipped out, I...” Abby could think of nothing else but to run and turned to head back to town.

“Abby, wait.” Kay placed a hand on Abby’s shoulder. It was warm and gentle, and Abby’s breath caught in her throat. Slowly, she turned around.

“I’m just... you’re so...” Abby was frustrated with how difficult words were, and tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

Kay pulled her in to a tight hug, stroking her hair and whispering “Hey, it’s alright.” They stood like that for a while, Abby quietly sobbing into Kay’s chest and Kay holding her.

“You want to sit down?” Kay asked, and Abby nodded. They walked over to the cabin porch and sat next to each other.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to come on that strong,” Abby started. Kay could tell she was really conflicted over this.

“It’s alright, just take your time with it, use whatever words you can.” She took Abby’s hand in hers and just held it.

“Thanks,” Abby said, “that helps to hear.” They sat in silence for a few moments more before Abby started again.

"I've never met anyone like you, and I've never felt this strongly about anyone, especially this quickly. I don't know what these feelings are, whether it's extreme infatuation or lust or... or something I can't name, and it's just so big and it came so fast, and I just want you to do anything... _everything_..."

Kay tilted her head and pumped the brakes a little. In some ways, this was very flattering, and in some ways, this was super hot. In still other ways with which she was very familiar, however, it was concerning, and could even be exceptionally damaging. Her thoughts instantly turned back to the tower in the forest. Kay needed to know more, but let Abby continue at her own pace.

"Tonight, when we met, it didn't hit me right away because I was hip deep in Prairie King, but when I was done and could actually look at you, at all of you, it just switched on."

"And that's never happened before?"

Abby shook her head. "I really want to be friends, but I also want to p-... I want to play with you, but I REALLY want to be friends and I don't want to ruin that and we just met and I'm a giant mess and-"

"Hey, hey," Kay wrapped her arm around Abby's shoulders. "Take a breath."

She did. "Does any of this make sense?"

Kay sighed. "More than you might think." She turned Abby's head to face her. "I felt very similar when I saw you, I'm not gonna lie, but I'm also right there with you on everything. And not just with the added pressure of not pissing your parents off if I screw it up or getting a reputation as the town skeeve." Abby laughed at that, and the tension broke. "So, yes, I absolutely want to be friends, and if that's as far as this ever goes, I'm okay with that."

Abby nodded. "I'm okay with that, too."

Kay smiled, and Abby's heart melted.

"Okay. So, I have two questions for you."

"Alright."

"First, have you ever felt like ravaging someone, or being ravaged, and then later you realized you didn't want that at all?"

Abby had to think about that for a moment. Really, the only people she had ever known to make her feel that way were Haley and Maru, but she'd never told them and would have felt super weird about it if they knew. And it sort of came up between her and Sebastian that one time, but that entire day was a very weird day in their friendship. Finally, there was the time Mrs. Freeman was at the beach in a two-piece suit that hugged her butt, but that was an outlier, and she hadn't thought of her like that before or since.

"No, I don't think so."

Kay frowned. Zoria would know how to handle this better, if there was something foul afoot. No use scaring anyone without more research.

"Okay. Second, full disclosure: I have wanted to kiss you since we got here, and I would really like to. I understand if asking to fool around is too much to deal with right now, so I will back off if you want." Kay knew it was putting a lot of pressure on Abby, saying that, but she didn't want to hide it.

Abby's heart leapt into her throat. She had hoped that would be the second question, but now she worried about how far they'd go.

"Would you stop if I asked you to stop?"

"Of course!" Kay looked apologetic. "Absolutely!"

"...would you stop if _you_ needed to stop?"

Kay was impressed with that question. "Yes, I would. I know you have no basis to trust me on that, but I would."

Abby was torn. She absolutely wanted to make out with this beautiful woman, but Kay needed to know about all of it. Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath, making what felt like the biggest decision of her life.

"There's something you should know before we do anything. I'm... not normal."

Kay blinked. "Who is?"

"No, I mean, I'm REALLY not normal. Like, I'm different... down there."

"...oh, no, is it tentacles? Do you have tentacles and a beak down there, like a squid?"

Abby was caught completely off-guard and started laughing. Kay joined her soon after.

"How do you do that?" Abby asked after they had calmed down.

"Do what?"

"Know exactly what to say to break the tension?"

"Eh, it's a gift." _Steady, Kay, keep it together._

"I should probably just show you." Abby stood up and undid her belt.

"I was kidding about the tentacles." Kay said, concern flitting across her face.

With another big sigh, Abby pulled her pants down, revealing a penis at the top of her vagina where a clit should be wreathed in a crop of bright purple hair. She was very thankful that she had groomed a little the day before, and that her dick had softened from earlier, or else this would be extra awkward. As opposed to the normal level of awkward that comes from showing a relative stranger your private parts.

Kay looked at Abby's dick, her reservations about Abby's sudden lust flaring again. This stunk of magic to her, no doubt, but that would again keep.

"Have you always been like this?" Kay asked, figuring that was a good place to start.

"Yeah. My parents were a little freaked out at first, and Dr. Harris said it was rare, but completely natural and normal." Must be the previous doctor before Harvey, Kay mused.

"Who else knows you're intersex? What pronouns do you prefer?"

Abby looked like she was about to start crying again, and Kay reached out for her hand. Abby sniffed, Kay's hand was warm and her face was kind and reassuring, and she kept it together. She was very happy that Kay asked those questions.

"I use she/her. The people that know, Dr. Harvey, my bestie Sebastian, and now you. And my parents, but they knew from the beginning." Abby looked down into Kay's gorgeous red eyes. "So, what do you think?"

Kay wondered about what to do next, before she realized she knew exactly what to do next.

"Well, I'm not sure..." she said, standing up and dropping her own pants in a smooth motion, "but I think you might be bigger."

Abby gaped at the violet penis between Kay's legs. She was at about half-hardness, but unlike Abby, Kay had a pair of balls to go with it. The entire area was shaved clean, maybe even completely hairless. She also had incredibly muscular legs, crisscrossed with a number of large scars, but that wasn't as important.

"You're...!"

"Not exactly like you, but close enough to know what it's like."

Abby leapt into Kay's arms, hugging her tightly. She was thrilled with this discovery after years of thinking she would never meet someone else like her. She gasped when a shock of pleasure ran through her as their members rubbed together as a result of the hug.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, backing out of the embrace.

"No worries." Kay's smile was infectious. "So, how big are you, anyway?"

All thought of make-outs and fooling around vanished as Kay and Abby explored each other with clinical eyes, which was not how either of them expected this to go. They quickly agreed that any arousal was for scientific purposes as they compared lengths. Kay was correct in thinking Abby was bigger, as Abby stood at 8-1/2 inches to Kay's 7-1/2. Abby was also much thicker, and laughed when Kay asked if she'd split anyone open with that monster.

They spent hours talking, about keeping it secret, questioning gender identities, their most embarrassing erections, to tuck or not. They avoided sexier topics in deference to their newfound bond as female-identifying cock-havers. The discussion did take a ribald turn towards the end as they talked about their first blowjobs, though that was about comparison of experience than an attempt to get each other horny. They were completely at ease sitting there on the porch, pantless, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. As the night wore on, it became obvious that Kay and Abby were forming a close bond, Kay the big sister Abby never had, and Abby another little sister Kay wanted to hold and protect.

*****

It got late quick, and Kay commented to that effect as Abby put her pants back on. They said goodnight, but did end up sharing a searing kiss before Abby left, a rain check for future possibilities. Abby was deliriously happy as she skipped home. She got there just before midnight, and Caroline noticed her daughter's lightness.

"Have a good evening, dear?"

"Oh, she's the best, mom!" Abby said, dropping into Caroline's lap as she realized what she'd let slip.

"'She'?" Caroline raised a stern eyebrow, pulling Abby into a hug.

Abby looked around, and Caroline confirmed that her father was already in bed. So Abby told her everything, about that night at the bar, meeting Kaylia, their walk home, and their shared attributes. Caroline couldn't believe it when Abby told her that Kaylia was also intersex, but with some differences. When Caroline asked if they were 'safe' with a smirk, Abby said they didn't need to be, they didn't fool around at all, except for one kiss when she left.

"Honestly, right now, she feels like a big sister. I'm so glad we met." Abby's eyes sparkled, and Caroline blinked away a small tear of joy for her daughter.

"The big sister you occasionally fool around with in secret." Caroline replied, smirking devilishly and raising an eyebrow. She knew her daughter well enough to read those signs.

Abby rose to the challenge. "The big sister I occasionally fool around with hoping my hot mom catches us and wants to join in!"

"GO TO BED." Caroline commanded, laughing with her daughter. Abby hugged her mom goodnight and slipped into her room.

Caroline poured herself a glass of water and sat back at the kitchen table. She shook her head at leaving herself open like that, usually she was much better at teasing her daughter. Still, she was very happy that her daughter found someone like her; that it was Miss Gardner was an extra layer of icing, she was so nice. Still, it was odd. Dr. Harris had said it was a very specific combination of genetic traits required for that kind of development, and that they developed spontaneously during gestation. Dr. Becker had confirmed it during his first checkup with Abby, and added that in recent years, the 'mutation' ("For lack of a better term!" he'd added quickly, not realizing that Abby would absolutely call herself a mutant because it sounded cool) was better understood and growing more common, but only relatively. Something like one in a billion? She started to wonder if Mordyn had anything to do with it, and if that were true, what did that say about Kaylia?

She was caught off-guard by an image suddenly appearing in her mind, of kneeling between her daughter and the farmer as they stroked themselves, urging them to come all over her face and tits, switching between them to take their cocks into her mouth. Caroline smiled briefly; it was one of the fantasies that occasionally cropped up since Abby had grown into such a beautiful young woman. Now it was even hotter with the addition of the lovely Miss Gardner, but Caroline was perfectly happy maintaining their relationship just like it was. Besides, she had other, easily available outlets for relief.

Placing the empty glass in the sink, she climbed the stairs to the master bedroom, disrobing as she went.

*****

Pierre snoozed quietly, pleasantly warm in their large, soft bed. Normally, he would have waited up with Cari for their daughter, but he was exhausted from a day spent organizing the dry goods. He was glad they were able to have lunch together, but he could tell Abby was still in the funk that was dogging her all winter. The rain meant she'd likely go to the Saloon with Sebastian and Sam, and he was glad she was able to find time for her friends. Still, he and Cari were worried about her, and they had talked about what to do earlier without coming to any conclusions.

He slowly became aware of a warm wetness between his legs, and he looked down to see the covers starting to rise and fall. He sighed happily as he lifted the covers, revealing Caroline completely naked and happily lashing his cock with her tongue. Her green hair was tied back in pigtails to ensure a clear view of her wonderful face as she worshiped him. She moved down with a wicked grin, and he gasped as she sucked one of his hefty balls into her mouth before licking him from balls to tip, returning to envelop the head in her warm lips.

Caroline moaned around Pierre's thick 10 inches, already realizing just sucking on it wouldn't be enough. She slowly rose up, stopping a moment to wrap her tits around his massive member. She wasn't nearly busty enough to make him disappear, but it still felt amazing against her nipples. Pierre sighed again, enjoying the attention, but he knew what was coming. His body shook with anticipation as she continued to rise up, eventually getting to her knees and straddling his hips. He rubbed the underside of his dick against her smoldering pussy, the lips practically dripping with arousal.

"I take it you're not interested in sitting on my face tonight," he teased, and Caroline shook her head as she guided him to her pussy.

"I need _this_ ," she said as she rose up and slowly took all of him inside her. They moaned loudly in unison as he penetrated her molten core, and she leaned over to kiss him passionately as she bottomed out. The made out like this for a while, Pierre groping his wife's taut ass and slowly grinding against her with his hips.

"You are amazing," he whispered, completely besotted with his wife, and she with him. She gave herself over to her husband's tender ministrations, his generous member filling her like nothing else could, and they stayed like that for a while.

"So, Abby is doing much better," Caroline said eventually, sitting up and starting to roll her hips along with Pierre's.

"She have a good time with her friends?" he asked. He thought it hilarious that they could catch up like this with him balls-deep in her, but that was kind of indicative of their entire relationship, how comfortable they were in every situation together. He also secretly hoped the conversation was going in a very specific, very filthy direction.

Cari nodded. "More than that, she finally met- oh, that's gooood... she finally met Miss Gardner." She moaned as her husband grew noticeably harder within her pussy.

"Mmm, and how did that go? I hope she treated Kaylia like a lady." Their pace started to quicken almost imperceptibly.

"That's just it... oh, right there, yesyesyes... they just kissed a little. It turns out Kay has a cock too, and they really bonded over that."

Pierre stopped for a moment, utterly surprised. Caroline leaned back and picked up her pace to compensate.

"No! You don't think she... well, she wouldn't-" Cari swung forward and rammed her tongue into Pierre's mouth as a minor orgasm swept through her body. Her core pulsed with heat, driving Pierre wild with the sensation as she rode the wave of her arousal.

"Just a little kissing," she said as she started to recover. Pierre flipped them over, Caroline wrapping her legs around his hips as he started to thrust into her.

"Our baby girl is growing up," he said, grabbing one of Cari's tits and tweaking the nipple.

"She's becoming such a beautiful woman," Cari agreed, visions of her lovely daughter filling her head. She closed her eyes and threw her head back into the pillows. Pierre knew what that meant.

"It's too bad she isn't here to watch us," Pierre said in a low growl, his thrusting becoming more urgent. He adjusted his angle to ensure he struck Caroline's special spot with every thrust and got an immediate reaction.

"Oh, Goddess, I wish she were here right now," she moaned, trying to match Pierre's thrusts, needing his hard cock deep within her.

"You want her to watch you get fucked by her father? Maybe let her take a turn on his giant cock?" Pierre had to be careful here, there were some lines he had no interest crossing, but he knew how to navigate them safely. Caroline did most of the work there, anyway.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-oooo," she replied, wrapping her arms tightly around Pierre, trying to pull herself as close as possible.

"Maybe you want her to stroke herself, to play with her tits, beg you to watch her cum." She shook her head, his thrusts punctuated by little moans. He could feel Cari closing in on another orgasm as he approached the cliff as well.

"Tell me what you want," he growled, leaning over to suck on her nipples in between lustful commands. "Tell me what you want her to do."

"I... I..." Caroline's eyes rolled up into the back of her head, she was so close...

"Tell me..." Pierre pleaded as they reached a fevered pitch.

"I WANT HER TO CUM IN MY MOUTH!" Cari screamed as she reached her breaking point.

"MOMMY, I'M CUMMING!"

The scream from the adjacent room sent them both into a massive orgasm. Pierre drove himself in to the hilt, his cock shooting huge jets of cum into Caroline as her pussy spasmed trying to squeeze the life out of him. Their moans of ecstasy joined their daughter's as Abby brought herself off, driven wild by her parents' torrid lovemaking. She stroked her girlcock wildly as she came, cum splattering all over her breasts. Cari and Pierre continued thrusting, milking every ounce of juice out of Pierre's cock as possible, until both were completely sated. They collapsed together on the bed, kissing softly as he wrapped her up in his arms.

"Goddess," they heard Abby say, "we are _so_ fucked up."

They laughed as Caroline snuggled into Pierre's loving arms. She wasn't wrong.

"Hey, Abby," Caroline called over, knowing exactly how to gross out her daughter, "you want to come over and clean Daddy's cum out of Mommy's pussy?"

"Gross," Abby replied, "you want to come over here and lick my cum off of my tits?"

Caroline gasped in shock as Pierre exploded in laughter.

“I see that Miss Gardner is a bad influence already!” Caroline responded in a fake huff.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing that, actually!” Pierre said, a goofy grin on his face. Caroline smacked him in the face with a pillow.

They all laid in the quiet dark for a moment, basking in their shared love.

“Love you!” Abby called over with a yawn.

“Love you!” Pierre and Caroline called back.

*****

Spring 4, Year 1

Kaylia’s time at the pier had borne very fishy fruit, indeed, as she collected a sizable purse from the shipping box. She had already watered the parsnips (just about ready for harvest, by the Goddess) and tilled and watered a second 12’ by 12’ plot for today’s acquisitions. She planned to split the second plot in quarters and plant an assortment of other crops. Before she headed out, she returned to the materials chest and pulled out the jars of sap she’d collected from all the felled timber. She had been considering the sticky substance, specifically its dense collection of plant nutrients, and was pretty sure she could thin it out with some water and spray it as a rudimentary fertilizer. She left it out to warm in the morning sun and become more viscous, then headed off to market.

She took her time walking along Red Dragon Road, filling her lungs with the fresh air and stopping to pick a few nearby roots and daffodils. Her thoughts turned to Abigail and the revelations of the previous night. Something about the young lady resonated with her, and not just the wonderful appendage between her legs. She was clearly rocking some BDE when she came to the table last night, and it contrasted with the extremely vulnerable girl who needed a friend that could understand her. Abby was utterly adorable, and Kay was happy to be a friend of similar experience for her. She would also have been happy to give Abby the tit-fucking of her life, but it was absolutely for the best that they had set such lewd ideas aside.

The little clock on the town message board read 8:00 when Kay made it to Pierre’s. Taking a quick glance at the community calendar, she noticed someone had posted a request: “LADIES ONLY: Someone please bring me a horseradish root if have one. You know what it’s for. -Haley” Kay took the bill and considered. It _would_ be a great way to meet the blonde bombshell in person while avoiding any embarrassment over their previous... encounter. She was also very curious about what the hell Haley meant to do with it.

With an hour to kill, she thought about foraging around for the root and then wandering down Willow Lane to deliver it, until she noticed the mayor heading up past Pierre’s. Curious, she followed him up the hill and saw him come to a stop in front of a large, derelict building with a broken clock inset in a gable over the entrance. The walls and roof were covered with ivy as nature attempted to reclaim the structure. Lewis had his arms crossed and was clearly contemplating something as Kay approached.

“Good morning, Mayor Mayer,” she greeted him, unable to resist the wordplay. He started out of his thoughts and turned.

“Oh, good morning, Kay! Sorry, I didn’t hear you come up.”

“You seemed a little distracted.”

“Yeah,” Lewis turned back to the building, “I’m trying to decide what to do about this eyesore.”

Kay walked up next to him. “What is it?”

“The Pelican Town Community Center,” Lewis harrumphed, “what’s left of it, anyway. Used to be the pride and joy of the town, you know? Bustling with activity, everyone coming together to plan events and festivals. Now look at it.” His voice rang with a deep melancholy for those times, now passed and forgotten.

“No offense, but I take it this is where you lament the disengagement and disaffection of the youth?” She was gratified to get a smile and a ‘heh’ from the Mayor for that.

“Disengagement is right,” Lewis agreed, “it’s like they live here, but they don’t realize they’re as much a part of our community as anyone else.” He turned to Kay. “I appreciate you letting an old man rant about the kids today.”

“So what brings you out here today?” Kay wondered where this was headed. Hopefully not...

“The Joja Corporation has been hounding me to sell the land to them. Morris keeps talking about some state-of-the-art fulfillment center, ‘revolutionize the industry and the area’ or something to that effect.”

Kay raised an eyebrow. “Morris?”

“Local Joja rep, runs the market over that way,” he half-heartedly waved eastward. “Yoba knows Pelican Town could use the money for all sorts of things, but something in me keeps putting them off...” He looked up at the clock with a sad smile. “Ah well, if anyone else buys one of those damned Joja memberships, I’ll probably pull the trigger. Just... I guess old timers like me get attached to relics of the past.”

Kay wiped a tear from her eye. Things were starting to make a little more sense.

“That’s not always a bad thing.” she said, placing a comforting hand on Lewis’s shoulder. He smiled, placing his own hand over hers for a brief moment.

“Kind of you to say.” With that, he pulled a set of keys from his vest pocket. “Come on, I’ll give you the dime tour.”

*****

The doors creaked open and the strong smell of must and mildew assaulted them as they entered. The interior was a complete mess, floor boards rotted away exposing the earth beneath them, windows broken or cracked. In the main foyer, a crumbling fireplace was flanked by an empty, cracked fish tank and a strange little hut of clay and thatching. Lewis walked Kay through the building, pointing out an empty pantry, an activity room, kitchen and dining area, machine room with a non-functioning furnace, and a town office with a massive safe, its door open and hanging off the hinges. They lingered by the old town meeting board, festooned with old requests from townsfolk left unfulfilled.

Lewis seemed surprised by the hut. “Huh! I wonder if Vincent and Jas have been playing in here.” He explained that they were the youngest children in town; Vincent Freeman was Jodi and Kurt’s youngest, born right before he shipped out; and Jas Taylor was Shane Anderson’s goddaughter, they had come to live with their aunt, Marnie Jones, a few years ago after Jas lost her parents.

“Ugh, this place is worse than I thought,” Lewis grumbled, looking around. Kay nodded in agreement as she regarded the fireplace and the little green fluffball behind Lewis smiling and waving at her.

“Yeah, I gu-WHAT.” Her eyes went wide as she comprehended what she was seeing. Lewis noticed her reaction and turned to look, the green thing vanishing in a puff of logic before he did so.

“What? What was it?” he asked. Kay stepped past him and stared at the spot that a few seconds ago contained... well, she didn’t know what it was but it was definitely something.

“I-... sorry, I just, I thought I saw something.” Kay shook her head, wondering if she got enough sleep.

Lewis’s mustache bristled as he looked around. “Heh. You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if this place was crawling with rats.”

_Rats. Right._ Kay did the only sensible thing. “Most likely, it just took me by surPRI-IIII THERE IT IS AGAIN!” This time, it again popped into existence behind Lewis’s back and started performing a credible rendition of the Hustle before once again vanishing as Lewis turned. Lewis regarded Kay with a look of skepticism.

“You okay?”

“I guess I’m just a little jumpy.”

“Alright. I think I’m going to head home for lunch.” They bid each other goodbye and Lewis left. As the door shut behind him, the little green thing reappeared, beckoning Kay to the activity room. She followed and saw something she’d missed previously: there in the middle of the floor was a porcelain plate, its center dominated by an image of a many-branched tree inlaid in gold. The strange plate was further inscribed with a message in a script Kay didn’t recognize.

When Kay looked up, she was alone again, any trace of the small creature absent. “Huh” was all she could say as she took her leave of the strange place.

*****

Pierre’s was bustling as Kay finally made it back. Just inside, a tall gentleman in a blue polo shirt, tan slacks, and a tight, flat-top crew cut was chatting with a very curvy woman with wild chestnut hair, dressed in a green tunic over a red blouse cinched with a wide leather belt. They turned as she entered, smiling.

“Ah, speak of the devil, and she shall appear!” the man said in a rich baritone, immediately offering a hand which Kay accepted. “I’m Robin’s husband.”

“I guess that must make you Demetrius?” Kay asked.

“I guess it must. I actually have to thank you, you must have made quite an impression on my step-son Sebastian last night. Normally, I can barely get two words out of him.”

“Let me guess, you got four?”

“No, I got fou-... oh, you _are_ good!” he laughed warmly as the woman next to him politely hip-checked him aside.

“Ah, the inestimable Marnie Jones, I presume?” Kay smiled, taking the offered hand and kissing it gently. Marnie started fanning herself with her free hand.

“You presume rightly and is it suddenly warm in here? I swear, I’m experiencing the vapours.”

“Careful, Kay, the mayor may take exception to you putting the moves on his ‘special friend’,” Demetrius warned.

“Oh, hush,” Marnie chided, “it’s all just good clean fun, sugah. Now, forgive me for dashing off, but I need to get this shopping done before someone comes looking for animal help at the ranch! We’ll catch up later!” With that, Marnie dove back into the aisles.

“Is she always that...” Kay began to ask quietly.

“Exhausting?” Demetrius offered.

“Exuberant,” Kay corrected, to which Demetrius nodded.

“Pretty much. Robin says she’s a real slave driver at ladies’ fitness club.”

“I HEARD THAT.” came a reply from elsewhere in the shop.

“Say, if you have time later today, you should visit the lab, I don’t think you’ve met my daughter, Maru?”

Kay felt an unmistakable hardening in her pants at the mention of Maru’s name. “Uh, no, I haven’t.”

“Well, come on by! She’s pretty excited to meet you!”

_Yeah, I bet she is,_ Kay thought to herself as they parted ways. Her momentary distraction led her right into the path of another patron, who bumped off of Kay’s figure and landed with a thud on the floor.

“Oh!” Kay was mortified, rushing to help the poor person up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“We really need to stop meeting like this!” Jodi Freeman laughed as she lifted herself up on Kay’s arm. Her laughter intensified on seeing Kay’s face turn deeply rose red.

“I’m really sorry, Mrs. Freeman,” Kay replied, embarrassed almost beyond words.

“It’s no worry, no damage done, and it’s Jodi,” she replied, giving Kay a warm smile. “Actually, I wanted to apologize myself for getting weird the other day. I, well, I guess you know about my husband, and I wasn’t expecting to meet you so soon, so I wasn’t really prepared for it.”

Kay returned the smile, hopefully with as much warmth. “I’m sorry, too, for a number of reasons.”

“I’m very glad I ran into you, too, I was wondering if you were planning on growing any cauliflower?”

“I was, actually, why do you ask?”

“Well, my boys love this cauliflower curry I make in the spring, and it’s always best with fresh product, so I was hoping...”

Kay held a hand up. “Say no more, fair lady, you’ll have first pick of the crop.”

Jodi curtsied. “Thank you, kind mistress. You will, of course, stay for dinner as thanks for this service.”

“I would be delighted!”

Jodi returned to her shopping as Kay stepped up to the counter, rapping it with her knuckles. “Good day, monsieur! Service, if you please?” She looked over and nodded to Gus, who returned the greeting with a wave.

Pierre practically glided over behind the counter, whistling a jaunty tune. “Bonsoir, madamoiselle!” Kay was struck by the man’s lightness and chanced a guess, leaning over conspiratorially.

“Well! _Someone_ got laid last night,” she said quietly, Pierre’s blushing a clear confirmation. She’d be blushing herself if she knew the true extent.

“Yes, well,” he replied, loudly clearing his throat, “not just that. Abby’s been the happiest I’ve seen in weeks, and I hear you have something to do with it.”

“Just what are you implying, my good man?” Kay gasped in mock indignation.

“Merely that Cari and I are so happy she has someone she feels she can talk to. She’s really been under a cloud lately, and we worry.”

“I’m glad she could trust me enough to open up, she’s a wonderful woman.”

“Yes, well-” Pierre was interrupted by the bell at the door and looked over Kay’s shoulder. His face immediately darkened. “Oh, what now?” he growled.

Kay turned and saw a large gentleman in horn-rimmed spectacles and black suit, accented with an oversize red bow-tie, stride into Pierre’s surrounded by a thick miasma of utter smugness. He stood in about the center of the store, loudly clearing his throat for attention.

“Come and get it, folks!” he said with a broad smile, “Coupons! Good for 50% off your next purchase at JojaMart!” Pierre’s customers all looked at each other, conflicted. Kay realized exactly who this was. _Morris._

The man took a step forwards, waving a stack of blue coupons in the air. “Well? Any takers? This offer may not last!”

At this urging, Jodi meekly stepped forward first, accepting a coupon and hurrying out of the store. The others quickly followed suit until only Kay, Pierre, and the gentleman Kay now privately thought of as ‘The Asshole’ remained. As he walked over, Kay shrank down, a plan quickly forming in her mind.

“Ah, Pierre,” Morris smarmed, “it must be so painful for you, losing all those loyal customers like that.” He smirked. “But, really, can you blame them? Joja Corporation is clearly the superior choice. Soon, the whole town will realize it.” He turned and seemed to notice Kay for the first time. “Oh, I beg your pardon.” He smiled broadly again, holding out one of the blue papers. “Coupon?”

Kay rose to her full height with a growl, instantly towering over the man. “ _ **No. Thank you.**_ ” Morris’s face immediately paled and he recoiled from her involuntarily. After a brief moment, he straightened out, pulled his jacket down, turned on his heel, and left.

The voice was a calculated risk; she wasn’t technically ordering him to do anything, just declining his offer while implying in the strongest possible terms that he should leave. **Now**. She figured someone would have to be actively sensing in the area to pick up on it, and they’d likely chalk it up to background radiation, as it were.

Kay shook her head. “What a DICK.” She turned to Pierre, who seemed completely unsettled by the entire event.

“50% off?” he said, “I can’t afford to match those prices! I’d be selling at a loss!” He looked like he was going into shock. Clearly, decisive action was called for. Kay make a show of taking out her coin purse and dropping onto the counter with a loud *CLANG*. The noise broke Pierre out of his spiral and he turned back to Kay.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he apologized, “that’s the first time he’s been so blatant about running me out of business.”

“What ever happened to friendly competition between businesses?”

“Oh, that would be fine, if it was anyone but Joja. You know, they moved in and started throwing their weight around town, talking about ‘revitalizing the community’ and ‘helping everything thrive’, but I feel like they want to put a stranglehold on this town and never give it up.”

“Seriously, what a dick.” Pierre snorted in agreement, then looked with surprise at the daffodil Kay offered. “I noticed your lapel was suspiciously empty.”

Pierre looked down, quietly accepting the flower and attaching it to his lapel. “Thanks for that.”

“Now,” Kay continued, “I have a list and a special request.” She handed the list to Pierre and, as he busied himself collecting the items, Kay grabbed one of the specialty catalogs and paged through to the item she had in mind.

“Wait a sec, a hand bug sprayer?” Pierre asked from behind the shelves.

“Yeah, I’ve got an idea for an improvised liquid fertilizer I want to try.”

“Would a herbicide sprayer work?”

“Maybe, it’s likely going to be pretty sticky.”

She heard Pierre rummaging around before a triumphant “A-ha!” signaled progress.

“Okay, that’s taken care of,” Pierre said, returning with the bagged items. “I had one of those aluminum weed sprayers that’s coated inside with Teflon, for Yoba knows what reason, that should do you. What’s this special request?”

“I hear you’re a man who knows how to get things.” Pierre nodded.

“I’ve been known to locate certain objects from time to time. What are you looking for?”

Kay found the appropriate page and laid the catalog down, pointing at the item.

“Well, that’s a fine piece of equipment.”

“I need it tomorrow.”

Pierre nodded sagely. “Normally, that would be a problem, but I happen to know a guy. You looking to take on the local champ?”

Kay smirked. “Something like that.”

*****

Maru and Penny sat quietly eating their lunches on the bench, taking in the beautiful spring day and enjoying each other’s company. They had been friends since they were practically toddlers, and trusted each other implicitly. Which meant that Penny was the only other person (apart from Emily) to know about Maru and Haley’s relationship. It didn’t come up often, but Penny knew how much it hurt Maru to keep it bottled up, and she would be there for her friend through thick and thin.

This particular day, Maru seemed a little off, and she had asked Penny to wait while she dropped a letter in the Carter sisters’ mailbox before rejoining her on the park bench.

“Secret love note?” she asked playfully. Maru blushed, avoiding her eyes.’

“Yeah, sort of.” Maru took a bite of her sandwich. “I think the new farmer caught us the other night when we were... you know.”

Penny gasped. “Oh no! Are you sure?” Maru nodded. “Oh gosh! Do you think she told anyone?”

“No, and I don’t think she will, but we definitely don’t need the extra stress, you know?”

Penny wrapped an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Yeah. You’re still not ready to tell them?”

“I know I’m being crazy for no reason, but it’s terrifying. I don’t want to disappoint Dad.”

“I know.” They sat there in silence for a moment, occasionally taking bites of Maru’s sandwich before she noticed and pushed Penny away, laughing.

“You’ve got your own sandwich, you mooch.” Maru said.

“Yeah, but your mom won’t tell me where she gets that peanut butter! It’s sooo goood.” Penny replied.

“Have you met her yet?” Maru asked. She was also nervous about meeting the farmer, for obvious reasons.

“Miss Gardner? No, I haven’t, but Mom says she’s built like a truck, kind of like Mrs. Gardner when she was younger.”

Maru thought about that for a moment. She definitely remembered the Gardners from when she was younger, they were always so nice to everyone, but she couldn’t really remember what they looked like. She asked Penny about it, and Penny thought for a moment before agreeing. _That’s weird_ , Maru thought to herself. No matter what, though, Maru was sure Mrs. Gardner couldn’t have had a big, thick cock. Well, probably not, anyway.

“You going to hang out at the Saloon tomorrow night?” Penny asked. She hated the place, for understandable reasons, but didn’t begrudge anyone else spending time there.

Maru pursed her lips. “I mean, maybe? I haven’t been a while, I probably should.”

“Yeah,” Penny agreed, “I’m sure everyone would be happy to have you hang out with them! Just don’t let Seb talk you into a game.”

“True, dat.” Maru replied in the squarest way possible, painfully remembering getting cleaned out by the damn shark. He’d bought her dinner and drinks for the rest of the night as an apology, _with her own money_ notwithstanding.

Still, it might be worth it to finally meet Kaylia. She hoped Haley wouldn’t be mad at her scoping the violet goddess out without her, but she trusted in Haley and the strength of their relationship to weather any rough patches. Usually with molten-hot makeup sex, but they’d be doing that anyway when they could.

*****

Haley grabbed the mail and zeroed in on the envelope with the cure robot hearts on the front. She hadn't had the chance to talk to Maru since their "escape" from Red Dragon Farm, but she had left a note for Maru later in the day. She'd assured her that they were okay, and went on to admit that the thought of being watched by the new farmer made her incredibly wet. Maru knew Haley had a bit of exhibitionist in her, but it still surprised Haley sometimes.

She retreated to her room and stripped naked before opening the letter and laying back on her bed to read it. Maru had such a wonderful way with words, and her letters never failed to send Haley into the stratosphere. This one was multiple pages, so she knew it was going to leave her bed soaked. As she started to read, she idly ran her fingers along her moist nether lips.

_Dearest Haley,_

_Thank you for your previous letter, I was overjoyed to receive it, as always. My lips trembled as I read your account of your private time, and I desperately wished it was I there with you, my hands caressing your breasts, my lips at your throat, my tongue tasting your wonderful nectar._

It was a good start, but the turn it took caught Haley completely by surprise before it lit a bonfire of lust within her.

_I must start this account in abject contrition, for I took action along certain lines without first consulting you, my dearest love, the fuel of my ardor's flame, and I humbly and sorrowfully beg your forgiveness for the events I am about to relate._

_The evening previous to my writing this missive, I had decided to approach Miss Kaylia Gardner and apologize for our trespass upon her property. I wished to explain our situation and beg her indulgence for our misdeeds. Based on what little about the woman I had gleaned from dear Mater, I had hoped she would take pity upon us and grant her forgiveness. I know I should have come to you, first, before doing so, but Pater has become especially interested in my comings and goings of late, and I found no opportunity to escape for a proper consultation. Thus, I left to pursue these aims alone, hoping that I would receive your forgiveness in the absence of your permission. Little did I expect the scene that awaited me at Red Dragon Farm._

"Damn, girl," Haley said, reaching for the vibrator Maru had custom-built for her; her fingers were not going to be enough, at this rate.

_I arrived at the farmhouse proper and gave notice of my presence with a firm tattoo upon the door, when a sound caught my attention, a hissing followed by a low moan. It seemed to have originated from the ruin of the old greenhouse and, with breath held and heart racing, I sought to discover its origins. What I saw shocked and aroused me beyond belief, for there, spread out upon our secret bower, was Miss Gardner, naked as the Goddess made her and vigorously pleasuring herself._

"Ah!" Haley cried, her body rocking through a minor orgasm as she thrust the vibe deeply inside herself. She couldn't believe Maru actually caught Kaylia like she'd caught them, and she cursed her bad luck to have missed it as Maru's description continued.

_I had never encountered such beauty before in my life until I met you, my lover, and I scarcely believed I would ever encounter it again, but Miss Gardner -- Kaylia -- was beyond my mind to contemplate at the time. I only hope my words can do a fraction of the justice her heavenly form deserves._

_Her hair is of brightest silver, and though it was cut short, I could imagine it being long and luxurious as are your own blonde locks. She wore a headband, presumably to rein in her hair, but it had shifted in her ardor to reveal gracefully long, pointed ears of elvish quality, just as described in our favorite literature. Her skin is of pale amethyst, and it glistened with sweat in the cool light of the early moon. Her body is lean and muscular, powerfully built, and the entire surface of her skin seemed punctuated by numerous scars, possibly inflicted by her cruel captors or otherwise gathered in service to her country. Her breasts are large, topped with broad nipples of deep purple, which swayed hypnotically as she made beautiful love with herself. I hesitate to mention their size at risk of giving offense, but they appeared to be of superior size to your own bust. I doubt they approached the scale of my impressive endowment, but I was captivated by their motion just the same._

_But my breath was ripped from my very soul when I finally noticed the activity at her trunk, for where there should be a lovely and inviting muff, Kaylia was instead furiously stroking a long, hard, glistening cock._ ("No way!" Haley gasped, shifting the vibe around inside her as she slowly withdrew and replaced it in steady rhythm.) _Her hand gracefully stroked the length of that impossible member at a rapid pace, and it bounced and jerked in her hand as though it were alive. Her hips bucked and her body writhed with pleasure as she approached her climax, and I could hear her urge herself on with shockingly filthy language. "Oh please, my sister, allow me the honor of supping of your nectar! My mouth yearns to be utterly filled by your turgid rod!"_

Haley rammed the vibrator into her pussy, driving herself to a huge orgasm. The scene Maru portrayed couldn't be real, but it was incredibly hot, and the image of Kaylia begging for her sister, her _sister_ , to fuck her mouth and flood it with cum while she jerked her own dick; it drove Haley wild in ways she thought only Maru could. She slowly pumped the vibrator as she wound down before removing it entirely, taking a moment to lick it clean. She had gotten extremely wet, and she felt her juices drip down her thighs and onto the sheets. She'd probably need to change them when she was done.

_This urgent plea appeared to be the last straw, as copious amounts of hot, white cum began issuing forth from Kaylia's impressive member. It positively covered her trunk, breasts, and face, a truly massive quantity of issue, and my shock and arousal were driven to even further heights when I realized she was actively swallowing as much of the seed to which she could lay claim. Her voice rang out in ecstasy as her climax peaked, and she eventually settled down upon the bower, her arms caressing her white-stained breasts. I could hear a contented sigh as I crept away, as silently as I could and as quickly as I dared._

"Damn, that was so good." Haley shifted a bit to get more comfortable as she read the rest of the letter, idly drawing the vibrator across her pussy lips.

_I raced home as quick as I was able, and upon entering my room via the balcony, I stripped myself of my garments and ensconced myself upon my bed, my 'lady's helper' already to hand. My mind reeled with the implications of the incredibly lewd and provocative display upon which I had intruded, and I realized with a start that I craved Kaylia's touch, her warmth, her cock. Oh, how I moaned and writhed as I imagined you beside me, your talented lips and tongue having their way with my massive breasts, as Kaylia slid her impressive length into my burning channel. Our eyes met and were ablaze with passion as she took me and made me hers, as you whispered encouragement in my ear. "Yes, my love, let her take you, let her make you yours as she soon will me and we her."_ ("Abso-fucking-lutely," Haley agreed, again pushing the vibrator into her deepest reaches.) _The smoothness of Kaylia's cock fit my pussy like a key in a lock, and I was soon ravaged by intense waves of pleasure._

_Before long, I could take no more, and I begged her to allow me the honor of taking her in my mouth. "Please, Kaylia, let me taste of you, let me stoke the fires of your passion with my tender lips and swallow the essence of your soul." She smiled and slowly withdrew herself. After an agonizing wait, I was finally presented with her beautiful membrum virile, slick and glistening with my juices. With almost animal abandon, I happily devoured her girlcock, my womanhood spasming with passion as my lips wrapped around the head of that delicious member. Having only practiced this lewd act upon my lady's helper, and in the throes of an intense climax of my own, I worried at my ability to properly pleasure Kaylia as she deserved, but my fears were unfounded, and I discovered I could take Kaylia's cock into my mouth and down my throat to her very root with ease. I could feel you shaking through a climax of your own beside me, so aroused by the sight. Kaylia, too, was powerless to stop the massive torrent of cum from flooding my mouth, and I greedily sucked and savored her issue as it mixed with my own remaining juices, so warm and satisfying as though it were the very embodiment of our love._

"OH, GODDESSSSSSSS!" Haley screamed as the torrid scene and her vibrator drove her to a massive, squirting orgasm. Her body rocked uncontrollably as she thoroughly soaked the bed and her lower body. The fantastical scene Maru described was incredible, and Haley was absolutely sure she _would_ get off watching Maru suck Kaylia's very soul out of that cock. The raw power of her ecstasy caused Haley to black out for a moment, and she regained consciousness chasing her breath, utterly spent. She looked down to survey the absolute mess she made of herself and the bed. "Ugh, I hope there's clean sheets," she complained, surveying the disaster of her bed before returning to the letter.

_When her issue was finally spent, she dropped to her knees, pulling us both into a tender embrace. I turn and kiss you deeply, sharing the bounty of Kaylia's love with you, before she pulls us closer and invades our tongue's dance with her own to steal a taste. We stay like that for what seems like an eternity, kissing and touching and basking in a powerful affection for one another._ (Haley wiped a tear from her eye, surprised at the touching moment Maru invoked.) _By that time, reality came crashing upon me, and my body rocked through one of the most intense orgasms I had ever experienced on my own. To be honest, I was quite surprised to not find my parents racing into my room, roused from their slumber by my screams and thinking I was in distress._

_The fatigue of the day's events finally made themselves known, and I began to drift into unconsciousness. The image of you leaning back into me, my hands clasping your beautiful breasts and my lips caressing your neck as Kaylia began to take you as she did me, ushered me into a deep, peaceful slumber._

_I end this missive in confusion and trepidation, with the hope that I have not betrayed our love and commitment by inviting a stranger to share deeply of our love, fantasy though it may be. I yearn for your constant touch and curse the weakness in me that seeks to hide our love, knowing full well the pain it causes us both. I beg your forgiveness, your patience, and your forbearance. With that I close, eagerly awaiting your reply and our next encounter._

_I have the honor to be your obedient servant,_

_M. Wright_

Haley shook her head, tears of joy flowing freely. "You dork," she said to the letter. It would take a lot more than searing hot fantasies about a violet goddess to damage their relationship, especially given Maru couldn't conceive of such a thing happening without Haley being present. That gave her ideas for her return message...

A loud knock at her door shocked her out of her reverie.

"Haley? You decent?" It was Emily, home on break from the Saloon.

"No!" Haley responded honestly, sniffling, "I'm naked and a Goddess-damned mess!"

"Letter from Maru?"

"Yeah, she's amazing."

"There's clean sheets in the closet."

Thank the Goddess. Her sister was the best.

*****

Kaylia waved at Caroline and Jodi as she dashed across the town square. She had lost track of time applying the new fertilizer (the can Pierre found worked a treat) and planting, and she realized she only had half an hour to get to the blacksmith’s before he closed for the day. She had missed the opportunity to meet yesterday, and damned if she was going to miss out again today. It did mean running the complete length of Red Dragon Road into town, through the town proper onto River Road, across the bridge, and taking a hard right at the JojaMart (Boo! Hiss!), but she made it to the door and in with minutes to spare.

The smithy was warm and pungent with the smell of flame and iron. Standing at the anvil in front of the forge was a large man in rough work clothes and a thick leather apron, brandishing a large hammer in one hand and a pair of tongs holding a glowing piece of metal in the other. His face was of ruddy complexion and stained with sweat and the grime of the forge. His brown, spiky hair was short and trimmed up off his ears, and he had a full mustache and goatee, similarly grimy as his face. He interrupted his hammering to regard the tall, purple-skinned woman who was now trying to reclaim her breath against his front door.

“You alright?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine,” she waved him off, “just need a minute.”

He glanced over at the clock on the desk behind the customer counter, noticing how close it was to closing time. _Eh,_ he thought, _extra fifteen minutes won’t kill anyone._ He resumed his work, shaping the bar into a long, thin rod and then shaping it around the horn and shoulder of the anvil into a rough ‘U’. He worked quickly and efficiently, as he had done all his life, as he guided the metal into its finished form.

“It’s a horseshoe!” the woman said, clearly impressed. The blacksmith shrugged it off.

“Got an order from Marnie earlier this morning, wanted to get it banged out.” He heard a snicker before he realized his unintended wordplay. He drove the finished horseshoe into the quenching barrel with a loud hiss, holding it there until the activity subsided. He pulled it out and laid it back on the anvil, setting his tools aside and grabbing a nearby towel to try and clean his face. After a moment, he walked over behind the counter, dropping his gloves on the desk.

“You must be the farmer,” he said, his manner a little gruff.

“Kay Gardner,” the woman said, offering a hand. After a moment, he took it, a proper handshake, and was pleased to see she could give as good as she got.

“Clint Collins,” he replied.

“No relation to Phil, I take it?” Kay asked with a grin. _Damn it,_ Clint thought, _I owe Gus 5 gold._

“I wish. What brings you in?” He sat at the desk, taking a moment to organize his outstanding orders (what few of them there were).

“I wanted to introduce myself, and also ask about this.” She placed a large rock on the counter, and Clint turned in his chair to examine it.

“Hmm. Copper ore, huh.” He took it in his hands, turning it over. “Nice weight, pretty good quality from the look of it. From the farm, I take it?”

Kay nodded. “I found it after breaking some rocks. I was hoping you could help figure out what to do with it.”

“On its own, not much, you’d need a bit more before you’d have enough to smelt it. Hold on.” He turned back to the desk and opened one of the drawers, flipping through some papers. “I’ve got a design for a smelting rig, should be- ah, here we go.” He pulled the sheet from the stack and replaced it, closing the drawer before handing the schematic to Kay. “Unfortunately, it also needs a bit of copper ore for the main chassis, along with some coal and a bunch of stone, but that will get the job done.”

“Any idea where I can source more ore?” Kay asked.

“Well, you could buy it from me, I’ve always got a supply handy, but it’s pretty spendy.” He sat back in the chair. “I’d recommend heading up to the mines to hunt for all kinds of ore, but that’s a bit of a problem at the moment.”

Kay tilted her head. “Why’s that?”

“Fuckin’ Joja.” Clint spit the name like a curse. “They caused a big landslide during their ‘surveying’, or whatever they’re calling it. Mine entrance is blocked, hell, the whole path up there is blocked. They say they’re clearing it out, but who knows how long that will take.”

_First the Community Center, then Pierre’s, now this._ Kay couldn’t believe how obvious Joja Corporation was being, but then, not everyone had her talents for analysis and deduction. If Kay was the only one that could see the various connections, she’d need to do something about it before long. “They’re entrenched pretty deep, huh.”

“Yeah, kind of snuck up on all of us. I mean, they did add a few job opportunities, but I hear they don’t pay much.”

Kay considered the blacksmith. She appreciated his straight-talking, and hazarded a joke. “I suppose... _removing_ Morris wouldn’t solve the problem?”

Clint shot a sharp eye at Kay before assaying a grin. “Not for long. They were already sniffing around here years ago, when my pa was still the blacksmith and I was apprenticing.” He glanced around conspiratorially before continuing. “I remember some rumor that a Joja rep back then was making some kind of play for Red Dragon Farm. We knew the Gardners would never sell to those assholes, and nothing came of it, even though the rep was sure he had the deal all wrapped up. When he figured out it wasn’t happening, he vanished, and that was the last we heard of Joja before Morris showed up and built the JojaMart. Shame, too, I loved that movie theater.”

“So, I’m kinda shit out of luck for ore, huh?”

“Looks like it. Sorry.”

Kay shrugged. “I’ll figure something out. Oh, hey, you could repair my tools for me, yeah?”

Clint’s face visibly brightened. “You got it. I’d need some smelted bars to reinforce them and fees up front, take a few days, depending, but yeah, I’m your man.”

“Thanks. Nice to meet you, Clint.”

“Nice to meet you too. Oh, uh...” Clint added, “ _Hello, I Must Be Going_.”

Kay looked at him before recognizing the title. “Nice, what’s your favorite Genesis album?”

Clint smirked. “Phil or Peter?”

Kay nodded. “Good answer,” she said, taking her leave.

*****

She spent the next few hours trying her luck fishing the river from the bridge, putting together a modest catch. The JojaMart closed while she was there, and she greeted Shane and Sam as they passed by. Shane nodded and mumbled a hello, and Sam stopped to ask how the fish were biting. They talked for a little bit, Kay asking about his job, Sam saying it helped out a lot at home and was okay, before he took his leave to get home for dinner. Despite the weird, soul-sucking void nearby, Kay found herself relaxing as Pelican Town was wrapped in the arms of twilight. It was close to 9PM when she packed up and headed for home. As she approached the town square, she heard some rustling near one of the houses, followed by the sound of a door opening and the unmistakable cadence of old-man grumbling. She turned to investigate and saw the expected old man seated in a wheel chair in front of the big blue house.

“Hmph, sounds like them raccoons are back, filthy freeloading varmints...”

Kay cleared her throat gently, and the old man wheeled to face her. He was mostly bald, with an exceptionally sour face, and was wearing an old army jacket over a teal jumper.

“Huh? Oh, you showed up at the right time miss. It is miss, right?”

Kay tilted her head at the odd question. “Yes sir, Kay Gardner, moved in to the farm a few days ago.”

The old man nodded. “George Mullner, welcome to town, and so forth. Listen, I wonder if you’d lend a hand here. Can you swing around the corner here, scare off those raccoons or badgers or whatever it is making a ruckus back there? They’ve been leaving a real mess.”

“I think I can help out.”

“Thank you, miss. Be sure to really give them a good scare, so they don’t come back!” With that, he turned and headed back into the house.

Kay shrugged and slowly peaked around the corner of the house, locking eyes with the mountain man she’d encountered on her first day here. He looked disheveled and mildly terrified at being caught, augmented with confusion as Kay brought a finger to her lips and tilted her head away from the house. He nodded, and they walked a short distance away.

“You must be Linus,” she said quietly.

“And I bet you’re Kaylia,” he replied. She nodded.

“You do this often?” Kay asked, gently. Linus nodded.

“I don’t know if they realize it, but people often throw a lot of hot, fresh food into their cans, food that would go to waste if I didn’t take it.” He looked down at the ground. “It’s not like they’d miss it otherwise.”

Kay could only think back to the Imperial Capitol, of the hundreds of homeless living in abject poverty, forced to do the very thing Linus was to survive. The sort of thing she’d hoped to leave behind, to be honest, but she recognized how naive she’d been thinking that.

She smiled warmly at Linus. “You don’t need to explain yourself. It’d be a shame to let it go to waste.”

Linus looked up, breaking Kay’s heart a little with the look of relief he gave. “Thank you. I’m not hurting anyone doing this, but... it’s nice to know someone understands.” He took a look around. “I won’t take anymore of your time. You can tell George you scared the raccoons off for good.”

“Actually, I was planning on saying it was a bear.” They shared a chuckle over that, and Kay turned to leave. She thought she noticed Gus standing at the corner of the Saloon eavesdropping, but left it alone. She was surprisingly exhausted and wanted to get home. She waved to Linus as she set off.

Linus waited until Kay was out of sight before turning to the Saloon. He knew he was pressing his luck, but the Saloon’s garbage was better than most, and he could always count on a full belly from there. Just as he was about to lift the lid, Gus rounded the corner carrying a small to-go container. He called out as Linus turned to run.

“Wait, please don’t go.”

Linus froze, expecting his luck to have finally failed. Reluctantly, he turned around, only to be offered the container.

“I heard you and Kay talking. You’re absolutely right about the food waste, but that doesn’t mean you should be eating out of the garbage. Here,” he said, pressing the container into Linus’s hands. “Please, take it.”

Linus cautiously opened the container, and a smell of fried zucchini and marinara wafted up to his nose. He looked questioningly at Gus.

“I don’t want anyone in Pelican Town to ever go hungry, and that most certainly includes you. Trust me, I know what it’s like to go hungry on a cold night, and I won’t let that happen to anyone. If you ever need some food, just come on by, I’ll get you set up.”

“Gus, I-” Linus started to protest, but Gus cut him off.

“If you want to pay me back, maybe don’t be so aggressive with the foraging, huh? Joja charges through the nose for leeks. I’d honestly rather buy them from Pierre, but I can’t if you keep claiming the good stuff.”

Linus stared at Gus before they erupted in laughter.

*****

Spring 5, Year 1

Kay chewed on the field snack (they tasted better if she called them that) as she sat back in the porch to go through the mail. The first was from JojaCorp (ugh), and was an announcement that the landslide caused by the drilling operation ( _fucking hell, they’re drilling up there?!_ ) had finally been cleared. It explicitly pointed out that the drilling operation was completely legal ( _it always is, isn’t it_ ), and that “Responsible stewardship of the local environment” blah blah blah. Kay tore the letter up in a huff and turned to the interesting piece of mail, a deep blue envelope addressed to her in gold ink. The letter inside matched the envelope.

_To Kaylia Gardner, Red Dragon Farm; alias Private Kaylia Gardner, Company A, First Battalion, 103rd Infantry, Republic Armed Forces; alias Kaylia the Red, the Peerless Tactician, Unmatched General of the Gotoro Empire, Wielder of the Lance of the Cosmos; from M. Rasmodius, Sorcerer of the First Realm of Ephiseus, Seeker of Ancient Truths, Master of Flame and Shadow, Keeper of the Seven Elemental Orbs of Halak, Manipulator of Mystical Delights, Champion of the Great Halls of Terr’akkas; greetings._

...

_**SHIT.** _


	4. The Game Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wizard states his case; Kay and Abby get handsy.

Spring 5, Year 1 (Continued)

Four days. _**FOUR. DAYS,**_ and she’d already been found out by some jackass wizard that apparently had nothing better to do than involve themselves in her business. She had a lot to do today already, and now this. She reread the letter, fuming:

_To Kaylia Gardner, Red Dragon Farm; alias Private Kaylia Gardner, Company A, First Battalion, 103rd Infantry, Republic Armed Forces; alias Kaylia the Red, the Peerless Tactician, Unmatched General of the Gotoro Empire, Wielder of the Lance of the Cosmos; from M. Rasmodius, Sorcerer of the First Realm of Ephiseus, Seeker of Ancient Truths, Master of Flame and Shadow, Keeper of the Seven Elemental Orbs of Halak, Manipulator of Mystical Delights, Champion of the Great Halls of Terr’akkas; greetings._

_I am given to understand that, in your short time here, you have become somewhat familiar with the problems that face this valley. I am also aware you recently visited the town’s community center and have discovered its unique... ‘infestation’ issues. I am something of an expert in these matters, and I may have information regarding same that may be of interest. Please attend my humble abode west of the forest lake at your earliest convenience._

Kay was beside herself with rage. It had all the common hallmarks: the pretentious titles, the vague offers of assistance, the arrogance of an object summons presented as a ‘polite invitation’. It was all Kay could do to not charge over there, kick the door down, and beat the jackass half to death with her bare hands.

She took a moment to breathe and think the situation through. She was a relative stranger with a host of secrets here, while the wizard was a native and possibly a well-regarded member of the community. Were that actually true, though, why wouldn’t they have done something about the valley’s ‘problems’ themselves? Why wait for Kaylia to show up to be blackmailed into doing wizard’s work? Granted, they hadn’t outright _said_ they’d reveal Kay’s secrets if she didn’t comply, but that sort of overt threat wasn’t wizardly. The letter’s introduction was implication enough of that.

No, this called for a calm, measured response. Kay went into the cabin to fetch a few things, no sense going in completely unprotected. She exited and started south towards Cindersap Forest, deciding to put her best foot forward.

*****

Melvyn Rasmodius, Sorcerer of the First Realm of Ephiseus, Bearer of About One Thousand Other Titles He Couldn’t Be Bothered to Keep Straight, carefully stirred the contents of his cauldron before returning to the magic circle. He adjusted the black hat perched atop his voluminous purple hair, smoothed out his black wizarding robes, and stroked his imaginary beard. He always fidgeted with the facial hair he was incapable of growing when he was nervous, even though he had taken the appropriate precautions. Whatever fell sorcery the Peerless Tactician could bring to bear would be blunted if not outright countered (he was sure of that), perhaps giving him the chance to explain himself. He thought back to the letter, penned in some haste, and wondered if he’d been perhaps a bit too perfunctory in his invitation.

He was startled as the door to the tower flew off its hinges with a loud _**BANG**_ , landing on the floor and sliding to within inches of where he stood. In the doorway, the Peerless Tactician stood upon one leg, her right foot extended out in a flawless side kick, which she pulled back and brought to the floor with a flourish. She was adorned in crimson armor, the plates etched and inlaid with precious metals to give the effect of scales, and her face was hidden behind a snarling dragon’s maw forged of pure ruby. Her eyes glowed red from behind that terrible mask, and she projected a fierce aura of strength and confidence as she strode into the wizard’s abode.

“I do not appreciate being summoned, wizard,” her voice was altered by the mask, sounding slightly metallic and entirely menacing, “I am not your servant to command.”

Melvyn stared at her for a moment before a wide, childlike grin covered his face. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed, “That was fuckin’ _righteous!_ ”

Kay’s eyes narrowed. This was... different.

“I mean,” the wizard continued, “I’m glad you took out the door and didn’t knock a hole in the wall, but I suppose that would have been pretty bitchin’, too. Or, maybe a three-point landing through the roof? Sorry, wow, you actually came! I was kind of worried, I didn’t realize I sounded like a total dick in that letter until after I sent it, and I try to keep written communications like that formal, but I just... fuck! The Ruby fuckin’ Dragon, right here! In _my_ tower!”

She’d been expecting something a little more confrontational and less effusive. She definitely felt her abilities being dulled pretty competently by whatever wards he’d erected, so he wasn’t incompetent, but they were strictly dampeners, not siphons trying to draw off her power and weaken her defenses. They certainly wouldn’t protect him from a severe beating with her bare hands, that was for sure. Also, she’d probably have to take his lunch money for the sake of decorum if she beat him up, this guy couldn’t have been more than 20.

“You sent me the letter?” she asked, incredulous. The wizard nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah! Melvyn Rasmodius, at your service, ma’am!” He doffed his hat and bowed with a flourish. His hair was _legit_ , a ragged mop of unruly curls, clearly well-washed and moisturized, and of a similar color to a certain shopkeeper’s daughter. His face was bright, and he was just so happy to meet her.

“I, uh... K-Kay,” she responded. Something inside told her she may want to give this kid a chance, wizard or not. She pursed her lips, then dismissed the armor with a thought, the enchanted plate mail retreating into the medallion she wore around her neck. She then removed her mask, and it too folded in on itself into a small diamond-shaped token that she placed in a recess in the medallion.

Melvyn nearly lost it before remembering himself. She was everything he’d hoped for: tall, ripped, beautiful beyond mortal ken. He’d studied countless texts about the Imperial Bladesisters and their mystical origins, and when he’d realized the new farmer wasn’t actually the Gardners’ granddaughter but the Peerless Tactician, he’d nearly lost consciousness from all the squeeing.

“Keep it together, Mel, she’s here on business, no fanboying.” He cleared his throat and smiled, gesturing to the table next to the magic circle. “So, uh, I take it you have questions.”

_Now that sounds like a wizard,_ Kay thought to herself as she sat down, disregarding the ‘fanboy’ comment for the moment. “You could say that. You say something’s amiss in the valley?” He nodded.

“Yeah. I only just started noticing it last year, it’s taken me a while to really get in tune with the magical weave here, I’m, uh, kind of new to it.” He winced before continuing. “Something has been messing with the natural flows of magic, interrupting or redirecting them in unnatural ways. I haven’t been able to pin down the exact causes, but I’ve already sensed something helping to fix it. I’m guessing you’ve got a harvest coming in already?” He wasn’t sure if she’d planted anything or that she’d had a chance to bond to the land, but the surge of energy building at the farm was a positive sign.

Kay nodded. She wasn’t sure what this guy’s game was yet, or even if this whole youthful exuberance thing was an act, but she wanted answers. “Yeah, I’m new to farming as a profession, myself, but I do know that parsnips take longer than 4 days to mature.”

“Right?!” Melvyn scooted closer. “There’s an energy to this place, it’s as though the natural cycles of the land are on overdrive. That’s why the produce from the Valley is so highly prized. Same for the fish and animal products, as well. The best part is, all of that feeds back _into_ the land, reinforcing the energy and making more of it available for others. Basically, when the land and its people are in balance, it’s like everything is ‘work it, make it, do it, makes us,’ all the time.”

“Harder, better, faster, stronger,” Kay replied, almost by reflex, catching the wizard’s excited giggle at her recognition. It made some sense, and it agreed with the Imperial theories about earth magic in the Republic. “But, I thought one needed to enact some sort of ritual to access that kind of power.”

Melvyn nodded. “Sort of. Anyone that works the land will have a much easier time of it if they form a... well, a ‘mystic bond’ with it, for lack of a better term. It generally requires an offering of oneself to the land, and the emotions behind the offering are very important. An offering of greed or desire for dominion, for example, won’t take very well, and may even warp the land to some extent. An offering of love and friendship, on the other hand, tends to kick start that bond rapidly indeed. So, this is kind of a tricky question, and I totally get if it either doesn’t make sense or you can’t think of an answer, but would you have given the land anything of yourself since you’ve been here?”

Kay instantly felt her face go bright rose. “I, uh...”

Melvyn tilted his head. “I know, it’s super vague, I’m sorry about that. It could have been anything: a short prayer to the Goddess, maybe some sweat or saliva...”

“...a big load of cum...” Kay shrunk down in her seat a little. She didn’t embarrass easily, but something about this conversation with _this_ wizard got her there. To her surprise and mild relief, Melvyn took her answer seriously, and rubbed his chin as he considered.

“Yeah, that would definitely work. Actually, I’m surprised I didn’t think of that first, an expression of love... err, well, lust might be close enough if it wasn’t predatory... sorry, it would fast-track the whole business. I take it you jilled off and made a mess?” He asked in a fairly clinical tone, without any sort of judgment or apparent disgust.

“Well,” Kay responded, _in for a penny..._ “jacked off is more accurate, but yeah.”

Melvyn’s eyes widened and his cheeks blushed. “Oh, fuck, I’m so sorry! I just... I assumed because of...” He gestured to Kay’s chest. That got her to laugh.

“It’s fine. So, what can I do to help?”

Melvyn’s face brightened in relief. “Honestly? Get the farm rolling. The more you grow and provide to the community, the more the land will start to recover on its own, which will boost the farm’s output, and so onward. It’s already started, from what I can tell, so just keep it up. You’ll get similar effects from raising farm animals, or even just a pet, there’s a lot of power in the bond between animals and their caretakers. Also, I’m still not 100% about this part, but making friends with everyone in town will help, as well, I think. Like everyone and everything is a part of the community. So when the people are happy...”

“The valley is happy,” Kay finished. It seemed a very new agey approach to this, similar to the vibes she got from Emily, but it did make some logical sense. Kay recalled the mayor’s lament and realized how helpful fixing up the Community Center would be in reestablishing those bonds of friendship within the whole town.

She suddenly remembered the _other_ feeling she got from elsewhere in town. “How much of a problem will Joja be? Should someone take steps to...”

Melvyn cut her off. “Absolutely not! They’re a big part of this, I’m guessing you sensed that too. They’re trying to harness the Valley for their own ends, and it’s doing a number on the local ecosystem, which in turn is ripping the magic out of the land. I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew what they were doing and didn’t care. But forcing them out wouldn’t help, the violent nature of such an eviction might make things worse. They have to leave of their own volition.”

Kay wondered about that, but decided to move on. “The Community Center.”

“Ah!” Melvyn jumped up and snapped his fingers. In the magic circle next to them, an image of the sentient green fuzzball appeared.

“THAT’S IT,” Kay shouted, recoiling a bit. It was larger than the one in the center, but it was just as adorable. Melvyn smiled and nodded.

“They have a little hut in there, right?” Kay nodded in response. “Did they ask you for anything?”

“No, it- they just kind of chirped at me, but they did lead me to some kind of plate in the activity room.” Melvyn’s eyes widened.

“Hold on, I’m going to go take a look.” He snapped his fingers again, there was a flash of light, and he was gone. Kay rose from her chair, the faint tang of ozone hanging in the air. She looked around and noticed that the door was back on its hinges. _When did that happen?_ She wondered. Suddenly, it flew open as Melvyn rushed in, grabbing a set of scrolls and a quill from the table and immediately starting to scribble on them.

“Incredible!” he said to himself as Kay approached. “I think I can translate this... it’s pretty obscure, but I think... yes, this should be it!” He handed the finished scroll to Kay:

_We, the Junimo, would be happy to aid you. In return, we ask for gifts of the valley. If you are one with the forest, you will see the true nature of this tablet._

“The Junimo?” Kay asked.

“Earth spirits! They’ll set up shop in out of the way places and ask for things in exchange for helping out where they can. They’re really industrious little fellows if they get the help they need.”

“Why haven’t they reached out to you? I mean, coming to an ex-Imperial seems a bit desperate, especially if the Valley has its own wizard.” Kay wondered aloud, and Melvyn’s face fell.

“I don’t know. They avoid me like the plague. Maybe-...” Melvyn shook it off. “If they’re appearing to you, then you’re the one to help them. Now, ‘one with the forest’...”

Melvyn turned back to the cauldron and gave it a stir, beckoning Kay over. The pot bubbled and emitted a green steam. “This is a decoction I’ve been tinkering with the past few days. Baby ferns, moss grubs, caramel-top toadstools, and lots of other local roots and lichens. Can you smell it?”

Kay leaned over and inhaled deeply. “It smells like tree sap and dirty feet.” She had a bad feeling about where this was going.

Melvyn took a ladle from the side of the cauldron, dipped it in, and filled a crystal goblet with the bubbling liquid. He took a whiff of it before offering the goblet to Kay. “If I’m right, this is practically pure forest essence. It’s not weeks of intense meditation deep in the forest, but it should be a suitable shortcut.”

Kay was incredibly dubious of this whole business, but there was no denying Melvyn’s earnestness. Cautiously, she accepted the goblet. “Down the hatch, I guess.” On 1, 2, 3, she gulped the contents all at once, gasping for breath after she swallowed. It tasted surprisingly fresh and minty.

“Okay, that wasn’t tooooooowhatisgoooooooingooooooooon...” The world swam around before going dim. Kay felt her body begin to float through an endless stand of fir trees, a calm surrounding her very soul. She could sense the vibrant life in the forest around her, and as she opened her consciousness to this vision, she felt the magic flowing through her and the world around her, an overwhelming feeling of the deepest love she had ever known. It was as though the Goddess herself had taken Kay into her bosom, the warmth of her love and radiance suffusing Kay.

“Uh, madame General? Are you okay?” Melvyn’s slightly reedy voice brought Kay back to consciousness. She sat up, realizing she was now on the floor a short distance away from the cauldron. Melvyn looked at her, concern writ large on his face.

“I’m okay,” she replied. “That was a trip.”

“Probably the LSD,” Melvyn mused. Kay glared at him. “Kidding! I mean, some of those mushrooms were definitely of the ‘magic’ variety, but nothing too powerful.”

Kay stood up, her balance seemed to be okay. She stepped over to the door and looked out. The world seemed just a little bit brighter, more colorful. She turned back to the wizard.

“How old are you?” she asked.

“Uh, 32 last winter, why?” _Okay, not as young as I thought, but still..._

“You haven’t been here that long.” He shook his head.

“About 5 years. I took over for my predecessor when he... when he retired.” He avoided Kay’s eyes, clearly hiding something. Kay decided now was not the time.

“Alright, I’ve got crops to pull in. Do you need anything more from me now?”

“Your autograph?” He laughed weakly. “Just, keep me posted, madame General. If I find out anything useful, I’ll drop you a line.”

“Kay,” she corrected, “my name is Kay.”

He smiled bashfully and nodded. “Right. Sorry, I just... I don’t know if I can handle being on a first-name basis with you. You and your sisters are kind of amazing.”

She smirked as she left him to his work. “Fuckin’ A, we are.”

*****

Kay’s to-do list got revised in her head as she headed back to the farm. Still at the top were “Harvest the parsnips,” “deliver the parsnips to Pierre’s,” “plant the next round of crops,” “deliver Haley’s horseradish”, “check out the mine,” and finally “deliver an object lesson in humility.” Now, she inserted “go back to the Community Center” towards the top, figuring to take a look and see if anything was different. It was a full day, but Kay knew she’d be able to fuel up properly for the first time in days if she had to.

Upon arriving back at Red Dragon, Kay found that something had started the harvest a little early. The remains of a parsnip lay near the rest of the crop, and a large raven was hopping around in the field sizing up its next course. Kay rushed over trying to wave it off. “Shoo! Shoo, you vulture!” The raven regarded her with some interest before flying up and perching on the porch roof, cawing amiably.

It made sense that the local wildlife would consider her fields a prime buffet. Guards were called for, in the traditional farm manner. Kay went to her supplies chest and pulled out some fiber bundles and a lump of coal, then walked to one of the woodpiles for some rough planks. After a few minutes’ work, she drove a rather fashionable scarecrow in between the tilled plots of land, positioning it to also watch over the future plots that she’d spool up int he days ahead. She hoped it would at least deter the more skittish scavengers from despoiling her crops. She could figure something out for the rest of them.

She spent the next half hour pulling parsnips from the ground and piling them in her backpack. They came out surprisingly clean, with only a few specks of dirt easily knocked off here and there. It was a fairly sizable harvest, and several of the root vegetables were of exceptional size. She hoped they would bring a better price, but Pierre would be the final arbiter.

On the way over to town, Kay stopped and collected a sizable bounty of forage. She was getting better at picking out the wild veggies and flowers, and she was happy to add on to her payday. Once again, she reached the general store well in advance of opening hours, so she detoured around and headed for the Community Center. No sense putting it off if she had the time now.

The center was still as she made her way to the activity room. The golden plate was still there, but as she approached, she noticed a number of new symbols and pictures that were absent on her previous visit. Setting her pack down, she reached out to pick the plate up and was startled when a bright holographic image sprung from it. She could feel that the plate was piggybacking off of her own holographic projection talents; the forest bond was acting as a translation layer between the Junimos and herself, manifested through her abilities.

The image had several packages, and Kay found she could tap them to expand into a list of requested items. The first she selected was labeled “Spring Forage”, and displayed images of a leek, horseradish root, daffodil, and dandelion; each was labeled with a checkbox. She realized she had just collected all of those things, and set about arranging them on the plate. Each addition vanished as it touched the plate, and the corresponding image received a check mark. When all four items had been provided, the list vanished and the box was replaced by a blooming flower.

Kay then noticed a pair of small packages had been deposited on the plate. One was a green bundle wrapped in twine, which immediately started waddling out the door. She finally realized it was being carried by a Junimo, a yellow one this time, and was likely the items she provided being taken to the hut.

The other was a small box wrapped with red ribbon and a bow, her name written on an attached tag. She quickly realized there would be kick-backs as she completed a given bundle, and opened the package to find a set of green envelopes filled with seeds. She couldn’t identify them right away, so she stowed them in her pack and returned to the holograph. The other bundles were almost all forage related, one for each remaining season in the year and another labeled simply “exotic”. The last was labeled “construction”: it requested large amounts of wood and stone and a much smaller amount of higher quality hardwood.

Not having anything else to contribute, Kay grabbed her pack and started to leave. On her way out of the activity room, she noticed a new plate in the pantry. It, too, displayed an image, but these bundles sought a wide variety of farm goods; various seasonal crops; animal products like eggs and milk; and more labor-intensive things like cheeses, preserves, tree-borne fruits, and wine. _Say, there’s an idea_ , Kay thought to herself, _I always wanted to try my hand at being a vintner._ She turned and was about to leave when she noticed yet another plate, this time in front of the fish tank. Rather predictably, this one was asking for fish, and lots of them. Kay added a new item to her to-do list: “get orders from the CC”. That would definitely help focus her efforts, though she wondered to what ultimate end.

*****

Pierre’s was sparsely attended as Kay strode in. Abby was off to one side restocking the baking and cooking aisle, and she brightened visibly at Kay’s entrance. Kay smiled warmly in return, stopping to give her a quick hug.

“How’s it going? I didn’t get you in trouble the other night, did I?”

“No, Mom was super happy we met. I’m kinda glad we didn’t do anything, you know? I really enjoyed getting to know you.”

“Yeah, I felt the same, but we’re not nearly done getting to know each other yet, methinks.”

Abby giggled and hugged Kay again, dipping a little to press her head into the soft heaven of Kay’s boobs. Kay sighed into the hug, her hand sneaking downward for a surreptitious grab of Abby’s shapely butt.

“Hey!” Pierre called from the counter, “watch your hands, you two! Don’t think I don’t see what’s happening here!”

They quickly separated, giggling, and Kay marched up to the counter, placing her bag on it. She looked Pierre dead in the eyes. “Sir, I am happy to be the bearer of Red Dragon Farm’s inaugural harvest.”

Pierre’s eyes widened. “What have you got for me?”

First, Kay removed the remnants of the morning’s foraging (holding back one of the horseradish roots), which Pierre took and hastily priced out. Then, she pulled one of the better looking parsnips out and placed it on the counter with a flourish. “Ta da! I’m a farmer!”

“Well, that’s a fine looking specimen!” Pierre was shocked; not at Kay’s ability, that was pretty obvious, but at how good her first parsnip had turned out. “That’s, um... I hope this isn’t the only one?”

In response, Kay dumped the rest of the bag, pouring out a sizable pile of the root vegetables. Caroline had made her way out by this time and was suitably impressed.

“I think she’ll do!” she said brightly. Kay smiled and bowed as Pierre rung up the total.

“So, here’s what I can do for you,” Pierre said, writing down the total and offering it to Kay. It was a sizable payday, though she knew there could be much larger in the future, and she gratefully accepted. “This’ll put a crimp in Joja’s style, I don’t know where they get their produce, but it’s terrible. You want this in cash?”

Kay shook her head. “Not all of it, I require additional supplies,” she replied, withdrawing yet another list for the grocer. He took it and gave it a once-over. “Now this is more like it!” he said, handing it off to Caroline, who nodded in approval.

“Abby, give me a hand with this?” Abby came over and the women started collecting the various items together.

“So, uh...” Kay said, leaning with her back against the counter and talking over her shoulder, “you get that thing I asked for?”

Pierre looked around suspiciously before slowly tapping his nose. He reached behind the counter and withdrew a thin black case and a small duffel bag, placing them in front of Kay. "I took a peek. That is a fine selection, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Kay flipped the latches and opened the case, reviewing its contents, before closing it and slipping it in her bag. She regarded the duffel bag before unzipping it to look inside.

“I took the liberty of ordering you some more appropriate attire,” Pierre said. “I asked Emily to help figure the measurements, she’s got a real knack for it. I hope you don’t mind.” She looked over the clothing and was impressed, she couldn’t have asked for better.

“Thank you, this will work just fine.” She shook hands with Pierre, concluding their arrangement.

“You talk to Gus yet?” he asked.

“My next stop.” Kay smiled at the girls as they brought over her other items. Pierre rang everything up and handed Kay the difference in a pouch. “Here’s to your first harvest.”

“The first of many.” Kay graciously accepted the money, stowing it away as she hefted her bag.

“You coming to the Saloon tonight?” Abby asked hopefully.

Kay smiled. “I might.” She blew the girl a small kiss as she left the store. Abby felt her heart lift a little as her mother wrapped an arm around her.

“She’s trouble,” Cari said to Pierre, who nodded sternly.

“Young lady, you’d better watch yourself around that woman.” He laughed as Abby gave him a sour look. He probably didn’t mean it.

*****

“A fine name for a fine weapon.”

Gus regarded the contents of the case Kay had presented with a touch of envy. She had stepped into the Saloon right at noon, and after a quick salad, she briefed the barman on her plan for that evening. Fridays were his busiest night, and what Kay had in mind would likely make it extremely memorable for everyone. _Especially_ due to certain facts of which Kay was not yet aware, but Gus didn’t want to spoil that particular surprise just yet. He agreed to keep the item behind the bar until called for, and Kay then requested the use of the hall for an hour. “Need to knock the rust out.”

“Sure thing, wouldn’t mind watching if you’re amenable.” Kay nodded her head in agreement.

They spent the next chatting as Kay practiced. Most of their conversation involved cooking and mixology, and Kay learned a lot from the experienced tavern-keeper. Kay was also able to learn more about Gus as they went; his time in the Republic Catering Corps, mustering out to Pelican Town, saving up to buy the Saloon, his ongoing search for the next future ex-Mrs. Wells. She should have known she might open up to Gus (he was a bartender, after all), and found herself happily answering the few personal questions he asked. Yes, she preferred the ladies; no, she hadn’t despoiled Pierre’s daughter the other night; yes, she was definitely open to marriage; no, she wasn’t accepting candidates at the moment, though there certainly were quite a few of them in town.

“I’m guessing the young ladies of Pelican Town had best be on their guard around you,” Gus quipped as Kay wrapped up her practice session. She smiled.

“I’m staying on my best behavior, I don’t want to get run out of town on a rail _just_ yet.”

Gus laughed. “I doubt anyone would have the guts to try it. Still, probably for the best. You wouldn’t want to cause a riot.”

She laughed. “’Strewth.” She handed the black leather case to him, and he placed it under the bar for later use. “See you tonight, Gus.”

*****

The raven had perched atop the scarecrow, stamping down on the straw hat to form a sort of nest. Kay regarded the bird with a disdainful eye, but decided it was a problem for later. Setting out her purchases, she pulled her layout diagrams from her back pocket and started marking out new plots centered on the scarecrow. The work went quickly, and after tilling the fields, she broke out the new sprayer. The sap had warmed acceptably in the morning sun and now blended with water from the pond easily. She considered spraying everything, empty plots and active growth alike, but decided on just the empty plots. It turned out a little went a long way, and she had made enough proto-fertilizer to cover quite a bit of property.

Once that was done, she turned to the seeds. The green packets she had received from the Community Center were similar to the wild seeds she had collected from her clearing work, but she noticed only four main seed types in the packets versus the broader selection in the wild stuff. She set them aside and grabbed the bulk of her shop purchases. In a few hours’ time, she had spread and watered crops of potatoes, green beans, cauliflower, and more parsnips. She waffled on whether to lean towards potatoes or kale as the load-bearing crop until the cauliflower came in; kale tended to fetch a higher price, but the spuds would have better yields.

All the while, the raven watched Kay as she set about her tasks. She was pretty annoyed that this bird didn’t get the hint and buzz off when she’d made the scarecrow. Granted, it had watched with some interest as she constructed and planted the straw man, so that might have blunted the effect a little. When she had finished watering, she looked up at the bird and shook her head.

“Look, just ask before you start grabbing things, huh?” She gathered her tools and went back to the cabin to clean off. She had decided the mine could wait, but the delivery certainly shouldn’t.

*****

2 Willow Lane was a pretty, well-maintained house on the western side of town just off the square. The Carters had lived there since before Emily was born, and both she and Haley kept the house in good order while there parents were away. For a family of four, it would be a fine house with adequate space. For a pair of sisters effectively on their own, it was maybe too much.

Haley sighed as she cleaned the kitchen. Her parents had been gone for two years at this point, traveling the world on the longest second honeymoon conceivable. She should have been used to it now, they were always leaving for as long as she could remember, and Emily had to pick up the slack. Frankly, Haley considered Em more her mother than their actual mother. She couldn’t possibly fathom what Emily had given up to stay here.

Her thoughts eventually turned back to the family she wanted. Maru was smart, funny, endearingly nerdy, and smoking hot. Maru refused to believe that last part, and Haley knew Maru’s body consciousness played into that personal sense of... Maru didn’t consider herself ugly, she just didn’t think she was pretty. Despite having heart-stopping eyes, a face that could start fights between idiot suitors, and a jaw-dropping pair of tits. Haley smiled as she thought about those massive jugs, how much Maru loved having them touched, licked, squeezed, sucked. Haley closed her eyes and imagined worshiping at the altar of Maru’s breasts that moment, at least before paying her deepest respects elsewhere.

A loud knock at the door shook Haley out of her Maru-induced trance, and she called “Just a minute!” as she quickly washed and dried her hands. She stole a quick glance in a mirror to make sure she wasn’t super grody before answering the door; she wasn’t nearly as obsessed with her looks as she used to be, but she still had something of an image to maintain.

“Sorry, I was cle-” Haley’s voice caught in her throat as she opened the door to the violet Valkyrie herself. She was wearing a green-and-black baseball tee, loose-fit jeans, and work boots. Emily was spot-on about the hair, she was rocking a full spike-top with a purple headband keeping the longer blades out of her incredible crimson eyes. Crimson! Haley had never seen eyes that seemed to glow like magma, and she was very thankful for them, otherwise she would probably have been lost in the majesty of Kaylia’s chest.

“Hi, it’s Haley, right?” The sight of Haley up close took Kay’s breath away, and she thanked the Goddess for a quick recovery. She was wearing a blue and white sun dress which set off her pale, freckled skin and deep cleavage perfectly. Haley’s face, full red lips, and soul-rending deep blue eyes were perfectly framed by her long, tousled blond hair.

The sound of her name roused Haley from her stupor. “Yes! Yes, I’m Haley! You’re Kaylia!” Well, maybe not _entirely_ from her stupor.

“Yeah, um...” _Her eyes are incredibly distracting, FOCUS._ “I have your horseradish!”

Haley had totally forgotten about the message board. Honestly, she threw the request up because she hadn’t found time to scrounge a horseradish root herself, even though the chances of someone coming through were usually very slim.

“Yes! Thank you! Please, come in!” Haley opened the door fully, stepping aside to let Kay in. Haley’s home was warm and inviting, with a red love seat and sofa arranged around a coffee table, assorted fashion magazines and dress photos scattered across its surface. A large bookshelf nearby contained numerous travel guides, books on art and photography theory, cosmetology textbooks, and a complete set of Greb’s Encyclopedia of World Fashion.

Haley put the horseradish in the fridge and returned, offering a small pouch to Kay. “Thanks for that, I really appreciate it.” She blushed a little as Kay accepted the payment, their hands touching briefly.

“No problem. I wanted to introduce myself, it seemed like a great chance for it.” Haley’s skin was impossibly soft, and Kay had to actively focus before she said something awkward. “What’s the horseradish for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, right, I put that on the request to keep the boys confused.” She smiled playfully. “Emily and I split them, she makes a pretty zippy dip with it, and I use it in blemish removers and skin lighteners.”

Kay was impressed by the young woman’s industry. “I didn’t know horseradish could be used in cosmetics. I mean, they must work very well, you’re so pretty.” Kay instantly regretted saying anything, her cheeks coloring slightly. It was true, but way too forward for their first conversation.

Haley’s own blush deepened at the compliment, and she wanted to change topics before she said something equally embarrassing. “Thanks for not telling anyone about me and Maru, we really appreciate having a place to f-... to, uh, have some quiet time.” _Nice save, dork_ , Haley thought to herself. She saw Kay’s skin turn an adorable deep shade of rose.

“Not _that_ quiet...” Kay said without thinking, distracted by memories of the torrid scene, before she got herself back under control. “Of, of course! You two looked so-I MEAN I totally understand needing to get away with a loved one, you two can come anytime. OVER. COME OVER ANY TIME.”

This was _bad_. Kaylia prided herself on her emotional control, and now it was gone. Five minutes talking with this blond bombshell and she was beside herself. She’d only ever been this flustered around Zoria, and Z loved teasing it out of Kay. It was supposed to be endearing vulnerability for a trusted partner; here, it was devastating weakness in front of a stranger. _No sir,_ she thought, _I don’t like it._

Haley felt the buzz deep in her core, and her face felt very flush. Kaylia’s awkward backpedaling was hilarious, but also incredibly arousing. _She wants us bad_ , she thought. Without thinking, Haley reached out and took Kaylia’s hand in hers, looking into her eyes and smiling.

“Would... would you like that?” she asked quietly, stepping closer. “Would you like to watch us again?”

“I-...” Kay gulped, this was getting out of hand. “I don’t know if that’s-”

“Maru saw you,” Haley said, wrapping Kaylia’s arm around her waist to bring them closer. Kay’s eyes went wide with shock as she learned her mystery guest’s identity. “She got so hot watching you, she told me all about it.”

Kay couldn’t believe how horny she was. With just a few words, she was ready to fully embrace Haley and kiss the taste out of her mouth. It took a massive effort, but she held back. “Haley, please-”

“She wants to suck you,” Haley continued, “she wants you to explode in her mouth, and she wants to share it with me. Wouldn’t you like that?” She started bringing her lips to Kay’s, hovering just beyond their reach. She boldly reached down and gently caressed Kay’s hardening member through her jeans. “Wouldn’t you love to cum for us, _mistress_?” She gushed a little at the thought of giving herself over to Kaylia to use however she wanted.

**WAIT.**

_Mistress?_ That one word was all it took. Kay knew Haley would have let her do anything in that moment, and the absurdity of the entire situation finally snapped her out of the lust-fueled trance. She applied full breaks to her hormones and gently pushed Haley away by her shoulders. The action had a similar effect on the young woman, and Haley’s face changed from sultry to shocked, then to horrified.

“Oh, Goddess, Kaylia, I-” Haley stammered. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t-”

“It’s okay,” Kay said, reversing course and pulling Haley into a tight hug. “It’s okay,” she repeated, as the full weight of the situation finally hit home. Haley started sobbing into Kay’s shirt as she returned the hug. They collapsed onto the couch and held each other like that for a while, Kay laughing quietly at how similar the embrace was to the one she and Abby shared previously, even if the circumstances were wildly different.

“It just happened so fast,” Haley said as her tears subsided, “you’re so pretty, and Maru’s letter was so hot, and you’re _so pretty_ , and you brought me horseradish, and-”

“I’m so pretty,” Kay said, smiling. Haley sniffed.

“Actually, I was going to say your boobs are really comforting.” She nuzzled into the soft valley and took a deep breath through her nose. “...though, why do you smell like a cup of pine tar?”

“Logging,” Kay replied, leaving it at that. Her thoughts were thoroughly muddled by the last ten minutes. _First Abby, now Haley..._ She kept thinking back to the wizard’s talk of the Valley’s energy, of giving and receiving in turn and bringing the community together, and she was very certain this was not what he’d meant. She made a note to send a letter off tomorrow informing him of these events. It was chancy, but she was pretty sure Melvyn wasn’t influencing everyone into insane sexy times. She couldn’t be sure that there wasn’t _someone_ who was doing so, however; this all felt like the kind of gross wizard bullshit she dealt with in the Empire, and it needed to stop.

“Haley, I’m-” a voice started as the front door opened. Emily walked in to see Kay and her sister in a close embrace, her sister’s normally flawless makeup a complete mess. The two separated, revealing the mess Haley left on Kay’s shirt.

“Hey, Emmy,” Haley said, sniffling, “this isn’t what it looks like.”

From the state of their auras, Emily could guess what happened, but decided to let them tell it.

“Haley asked for some horseradish, I came over to drop it off, she invited me in, and we got to talking,” Kay explained. “I’m a pretty good listener, and Haley...”

“I told her about our parents essentially leaving us,” Haley continued, taking Kay’s prompt, “and Kay helped me realize it’s okay if I don’t like them very much. It hit me pretty hard.” She sniffled for emphasis. Kay maintained a sympathetic face and hoped to the Goddess it was convincing.

Emily smiled, sitting on the couch and putting an arm around her sister. They worked through that same conversation years ago, so she believed Haley was covering for their sake, rather than Kay’s.

“It’s alright, I know it’s been rough without them,” Emily said, holding her sister as Kay stood.

“I think I’m gonna go change,” Kay said awkwardly, “Haley, I’m sorry about... everything.”

Haley nodded. “Thank you for letting me vent, Kaylia, I really appreciated it.”

“My pleasure.” Kay’s smile seemed to make everything much better. “That invitation stands, if you and your friends still want to come hang out.”

Haley nodded, and Kay quietly opened the door and left. She considered a change of plans and talking to Melvyn now, but she thought more time to digest would be helpful. Besides, she had one other task on her list for today yet, and she was looking forward to it.

Emily hugged Haley and looked at her. “So? You want to talk about what happened?”

Haley nodded. “Yeah, and we will, but I need to talk to Maru first.” This couldn’t wait, her feelings of guilt wouldn’t go away until she and Maru talked it out.

“You want to clean up first?”

“I probably should.”

Haley got up and went into her room as Emily held back her laughter. “OH GODDESS, GROSS!” came the shout from Haley’s room, and Emily couldn’t hold it back anymore.

*****

Maru puzzled over the data in front of her. For weeks, she and her father had been gathering meteorological data on the Valley’s winter storm systems, searching for any sort of regular pattern in the appearance or formation of the short, intense thundersnow squalls. Demetrius’s working hypothesis was that warmer air from the Gem Sea was combining with the much colder air off the mountain to form the events, but based on their readings from across the previous winter, the supposed warm fronts weren’t actually that much warmer. The behavior wasn’t particularly caused by pressure changes, either, as the barometers stayed pretty level throughout the winter. Earlier that day, she had suggested a particularly frenzied period of butterfly activity in the Fern Islands; her dad almost couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard, and they took a break from their other work by checking migration reports from the Fern Islands Research Center.

That was the thing she loved about her dad the most: he was always willing to listen to Maru, to give her ideas a fair chance and due consideration. Sometimes, it led to a breakthrough on a difficult problem; other times, it led to disappointment but better understanding. He was a driven researcher and made no secret of his desire that his children put their best efforts into anything they did. He also expected great things of his only daughter, and she wondered if he knew how much pressure that laid directly on her shoulders. She also knew that was the real reason she didn’t want to tell him about Haley, that he’d think the effort she put into her relationship would be better directed at more academic pursuits.

A knock at her balcony door surprised her, and she opened it to find Haley, slightly out of breath. She pushed her way into Maru’s room, pushing the door shut behind her and grabbing Maru in a tight embrace. Maru’s reservations about the invasion were quickly set aside as she melted into Haley’s arms.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Maru asked. Haley pulled Maru to the bed and sat down with her. She looked extremely nervous as she took Maru’s hands in her own.

“I met Kaylia today,” she said, “and I think we would have fucked if she hadn’t stopped us.”

Maru gasped as Haley relayed the story: Kaylia fulfilling her request, their initial flustered apologies and reactions to each other, the rapid escalation, Haley dropping the dime on Maru to Kay, her suggestion of more intimate activities, and Kay’s refusal to let them happen.

“I’m so sorry, Maru,” Haley apologized, keeping it together as best she could, “it happened so quick, and I was so hot for her. I even got as far as... touching her...” She dropped her eyes to her lap as Maru’s widened.

“You touched her junk?”

Haley nodded. “Over her pants, but yeah, she was getting pretty hard. But then she pushed me away, and I realized what I was doing, and how sudden it was. I felt so awful, I didn’t want to do any of that stuff without you.”

Maru hugged Haley. “It’s okay, Hale, everything’s going to be okay.” She realized that she would have been angry if Haley and Kay had sexy times without her, but also that she was okay with the idea of Haley and Kay having sexy times to begin with. In fact, the thought of Haley going down on Kay’s cock was hot, indeed, but Maru set those thoughts aside for the moment.

“Thank you for coming over and telling me about this,” Maru said. “May I ask you more questions?”

“Of course.” Haley saw the look in Maru’s eye and knew her girlfriend was shifting into investigation mode.

They spent the next half-hour going over everything that happened in minute detail. Maru was very good at investigating strange occurrences, and it relieved Haley greatly that Maru wanted to dig in to this event in the same way. They went over the exact words they said, their body language, the specific ways Kay was standing and holding herself. Haley understood the line Haley was taking, that Kay had possibly hypnotized or ensorcelled her into a heightened state of arousal, and that Kay putting a stop to it was a calculated move to endear herself to Haley. They both realized how far-fetched that was based on Kay’s very honest reactions to Haley’s suggestions. Maru openly surmised that Kay was incredibly dangerous if she could fake that level of involuntary response, but that given everything else that happened, it seemed unlikely.

Talking through all of it helped assuage Haley’s guilt at taking things as far as they went, and they both felt better even though they couldn’t explain precisely what happened.

“Maybe she’s a sex goddess in disguise?” Haley offered.

“Not much of a disguise, if you ask me.” Maru smirked, leaning over to lightly kiss Haley’s lips. Haley returned the kiss, and shortly they were sprawled on the bed, their clothes tossed to the floor as they kissed and caressed each other.

“Are you still meeting Alex tonight?” Maru asked, nibbling on Haley’s ear.

“Yeah, he thinks me canceling on him is ‘playing hard to get’, I don’t think I should beg off this time.” She turned Maru’s face and drove her tongue into Maru’s mouth. Maru sucked on it with a moan before Haley disengaged to kiss her neck.

“Yeah, I’ve been promising to hang out with Seb, Sam, and Abby for a while, too. We’ve got half an hour before we should get ready, and you haven’t even said hello to my girls yet.”

Haley gasped in mock embarrassment. “I’m so sorry! What a horrendous faux pas!” She dipped her head to address Maru’s impressive endowments. “Good evening, ladies, you are looking delicious today.” She ravenously sucked Maru’s nipples into her mouth, drawing a powerful moan from both of them. It would not be the last.

*****

Abby adjusted the blue bow of her barrette to sit offside, adding a touch of asymmetry to her look. She rarely got this dressed up for the Saloon, but it felt like a special occasion. Word had gotten around about Kay’s new crop of parsnips, and Pierre’s had a banner day as most of the town came to take a look and stock up. Pierre was thrilled. “That was just parsnips!” he said. “Think of what happens when those potatoes and kale come in!”

Caroline knocked on the door before peeking in to Abby’s room. She and Pierre were just about ready themselves, and would be joining Robin and Demetrius for dinner while Abby hug out with her friends. Abby waved her mom in as she looked herself over in the mirror. She’d decided on the blue-and-purple tank tonight, and both she and her mom considered the deep cleavage it afforded.

“Someone’s angling to get laid,” Caroline joked, hugging Abby from behind.

“Yeah, maybe _I’ll_ get lucky, too!” Abby joked back, giving her mom a quick peck on the cheek. She turned back to the mirror as Caroline adjusted her bow.

“My slutty baby girl is all grown up,” she said, faking a tearful sniffle. “It feels like only yesterday that she only had eyes for mommy.”

“That WAS yesterday, and what was I supposed to be looking at when you buried me in your throat?” Abby laughed. Caroline always seemed to know when her daughter was tense or nervous, and the incestuous sexy talk always helped calm her down. She hadn’t realized it, but she was very nervous about tonight.

“Mom?” she asked, “would it be okay if I hang out with Kaylia again? Like, after the bar?”

Caroline nodded. “Of course! I wasn’t kidding about you being grown up, if you feel safe with her, I won’t stop you.”

“Even if I wanted to...” Abby let the question hang in the air. “I mean, I know we just met, and I don’t know if anything will happen, but-”

“But you think you’re ready for it if it does?” Caroline turned Abby to look directly at her. “Abigail, I know how strongly you feel about Kaylia, even after only two days since you’ve met. If you were worried about her taking advantage of you, I don’t think you’d be so interested in spending time with her.”

“But I don’t want her to think I’m easy, or to think less of me if I can’t keep my hands off of her, you know?”

“I know, but I also know that you are a mature, strong young lady. You want friendship first, maybe tawdry sex later, and I think she knows that.”

They hugged as Pierre called for Caroline from the hall.

“Okay, we’re going to head over. Good luck, tonight.”

“You, too.” Abby winked, getting a laugh.

“Oh! Remember to relax your throat muscles, and to pull back to just her head if you want to swallow until you’re used to it.”

“Alright, mom! Geez!”

*****

It was nearly 7 by the time Kaylia was cleaned, dressed, and on her way to the Saloon. She’d picked the black bomber jacket to go with the ensemble Pierre and Emily picked for her, the only parts currently visible being the light tan slacks and black-and-red canvas hi-tops. She was excited, not only to show off a little, but also to get a chance to relax with her growing circle of friends. She was also starving, so step one would be attending to that.

Taking a look in a mirror before she set off, she noticed that her hair was finally long enough to do away with the headband, even though it was more to hide her elvish ears than wrangle her hairdo. Thinking on Melvyn’s theories about the land and the community, she took it off. If anyone asked, she’d tell them the truth: it was the Imperials. It seemed to explain her skin and eye color, why not her freaky elf ears as well. To force the issue, she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail.

The Saloon was packed and lively when Kay arrived. Gus and Emily were tending bar, as per usual, and Pam, Willy, and Shane were in their usual places. Over by the jukebox, Pierre and Caroline were dancing alongside Robin and Demetrius. Leah, Elliot, and Dr. Becker were sitting at the bar, sharing a bottle of single-malt scotch and deep in a discussion of transcendentalist philosophy, from the sound of it. Further down the bar, the mayor and Marnie were splitting a pizza and a bottle of wine. Finally, Haley was sitting at a corner table eating a burger with a young man with typical jock looks in a green and yellow letter jacket. _That must be Alex_ , she thought as she approached the bar.

“Evening, farmer!” Gus greeted Kay, placing a cranberry candy on the bar which she accepted gratefully. Emily waved as she loaded a tray of drinks for the date night table. “Heard it was a banner day at Pierre’s, thanks to you!”

Kay tilted her head in confusion. “It was barely three dozen parsnips, they couldn’t have been that amazing. Say, can I get a repeat of that pizza, but, ah, ease off a pint on the hot sauce this time, need my wits about me.” Gus nodded, tugging his ear conspiratorially.

Kay took a few moments to circulate: greeting the patrons at the bar, narrowly avoiding being drawn into the philosophical discussion, paying her respects to the mayor, saying a brief hello to the older folks (“Those parsnips were dynamite!” Pam exclaimed), begging off Pierre’s offer of a whirl around the dance floor. She approached Haley cautiously, catching her eye and getting a wave over.

“...so now he thinks the town’s being invaded by bears trying to steal everyone’s garbage,” the athlete was saying, “he really needs to get out more.” Haley cleared her throat and gestured behind him, and he finally noticed Kay.

“Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to ask how you made out with that horseradish.” Kay hoped Haley would pick up on the implied ‘are you okay?’, and Haley’s warm smile indicated that she had. Haley gestured to her face, which was clear and gorgeous.

“Worked like a champ, thank you. I’d lend you some, but your skin is so perfect already, I’m super jealous.” Haley’s voice had a bit of... flounce in it? She was playing the stereotypical blonde way up, likely for her dinner companion’s benefit. “Have you met Alex yet?” she asked, tapping him on the shoulder. He gave her a confused look before realizing what she wanted and standing.

“Kay Gardner,” she introduced herself, offering a hand.

“Yeah, the new farmer chick, I can dig it,” he replied, taking the handshake. “Alex Bra _AN_ son.”

Kay smirked, he really shouldn’t have tried the squeeze test with her. He sat back down, shaking his hand out. She was a little surprised he sounded as much like a meathead as he looked.

“Yow, good grip.”

“I’m glad everything worked out,” Kay said to Haley, “let me know if I can help out with anything else. Nice to meet you, Alex.”

“Sure thing.” Haley smiled again as Kay moved off towards the game room.

“Damn, that chick is _thick_.” Alex watched Kay go as Haley rolled her eyes.

“You looking to trade down?”

“Aww, come on, babe, I’m just sayin’.”

*****

“Rack ‘em up, Sammy, old pal.”

Sebastian’s record remained intact, and he applied chalk to the end of his cue as Sam collected the balls together in the rack. With one exception, he had trounced everyone in town that he’d ever played, though Abby and Haley could give him a run for his money. (Haley was the more surprising of the pair; she had come within a hair’s width of winning their last game but missed a bank shot to close the deal.) As Kay approached the group, drink in hand, he looked forward to introducing the new arrival to this pool table’s resident lord and master.

Kay’s heart jumped when she saw Maru sitting with Abby, and her pants grew a little tighter as she took in the bounty of cleavage on display. Abby wore a deeper-cut tank than she normally favored, and Maru was in a pretty yellow halter top that set her caramel skin off quite nicely. Sam and Sebastian were at it again, though it appeared their most recent game had just ended as they joined the girls to finish their current beers.

“Room for one more?” Kay asked, approaching the table. The group looked over, and Maru was visibly startled when she realized who had arrived.

“Of course!” Abby said, pulling a chair up between her and Maru. “Have you and Maru met yet?”

“We haven’t,” Kay said, taking the chair graciously and offering her hand to Maru. “Your reputation precedes you, Miss Wright, it is an honor.”

Maru placed her hand in Kay’s, who raised it to her lips and gently kissed her knuckles. _Her lips are so soft,_ Maru thought, and her face rapidly turned red as Kay relinquished her hand. The boys chuckled in response.

“Smooth,” Sam commented.

“P-please, call me Maru. H-how are you finding Pelican Town, Miss Gardner?” _Goddess, her eyes are hypnotic_.

“It’s a wonderful place, I’m so glad I was able to move here.” _How can she be this cute?_

“Dad made parsnip salad from some of your crop today,” Abby cut in, hoping to defuse the very palpable tension building in the air. “It was so good! You think all of your veggies will be that tasty?”

Kay nodded, grateful for the distraction. “I hope so, the soil seems to be pretty nutrient-dense, I hope I don’t deplete it too quickly.”

Maru brightened at this. “Yeah, it’s a little like potting soil on steroids, isn’t it? Dad thinks it might be remnants of volcanic activity boosting the natural iron content, but I think it’s more nuanced than that.”

Kay and Maru spent the next several minutes talking about dirt, to the utter boredom of the rest of the table. Mostly, Kay just let Maru expound on her theories, and as Maru’s nervousness dropped away, Kay saw how passionate she was about all things science and discovery. It was a little intoxicating.

“I take it you received appropriate compensation for your labors?” Sebastian broke in, drawing a groan from the rest of the table.

“Come on, Seb,” Sam said, “she _just_ got here.”

Kay could not believe he was going to be this transparent. “I mean, it’s not like I sold to Joja or anything.” The joke got a _snerk_ from Abby as she tried to take a drink.

“Hey, all I’m saying is that I’m glad she’s here, and that she’s appreciated.” Seb continued, glancing at the pool table. “Speaking of appreciation, I wonder if you have ever played the fine game of pocket billiards.”

_Here we go_ , Kay thought _._ “Once or twice in the barracks. Why?”

“I would be honored if you would join me in a friendly little match over the felt, as it were. It helps me get to know people better.”

“Yeah, get to know their wallets.” Maru snarked, getting chuckles from Abby and Sam. Seb shushed her before standing.

“That sounds fun, actually!” Kay said, rising from her seat. “Abby, could you pass me one of those stick things?”

Seb smirked, he didn’t think Kay was _actually_ a hayseed, but maybe his first impression was off.

“The guys in the barracks usually bet something on these games, you want to do that too?” Kay asked innocently. Maru and Sam groaned again, Kay was clearly asking for trouble. Abby, handing a cue to Kay, wasn’t so sure. _She is up to something._

“Oh, well, I normally wouldn’t, but if it would help you be more comfortable, I could do 10 gold a ball?”

“That sounds about right.” Kay nodded.

“At least Seb’s paying tonight,” Sam said, leaning back in his chair. Seb always spread the wealth around when he tapped a mark.

Sebastian racked the balls and graciously allowed Kay the break. She lined up her cue, took a moment to double-check the line, and promptly muffed the shot, barely getting any action on the table.

What followed was 20 minutes of the most awkward pool they had ever seen, as Seb exerted his usual level of command over the table. He would occasionally intentionally miss a shot to allow Kay another chance, but it was clear to everyone that pool was not Kay’s game.

*****

“The kids seem to be having a great time,” Robin said, tucking in to her dinner salad. “I’m glad Kaylia seems to fit right in, too, she seems so nice.”

“I know!” Caroline agreed, “I think Abby has a little crush on her.”

“Too bad Sebastian has his claws in her right now,” Demetrius commented, seeing the game unfolding. Gus heard the comment as he brought over a fresh round.

“You may want to step over there in a minute,” Gus said, “I think Seb’s bitten off more than he can chew for once.”

“Oh, really...” Demetrius immediately picked up on Gus’s meaning.

“How’s that?” Pierre asked, Caroline and Robin nodding in similar confusion.

“Call it barman’s intuition.” Gus returned to the bar, as Demetrius rose.

“Everything okay?” Robin asked.

“Just going to check on the kids, no worries,” he replied, heading towards the game room. As he passed Haley and Alex, he caught Haley’s eye and gave her a subtle eyebrow raise, which the blonde acknowledged.

“Hey, Alex, didn’t you have to get up early tomorrow for practice?”

Alex looked at the clock. “Yeah, you’re probably right, babe. Thanks for looking out for me.” He finished his beer, gave Haley a peck on the cheek, and went to settle up with Gus. After he’d left, Haley got up, accepted an outstretched cosmopolitan from Gus, and started wandering past the bar.

*****

“Oof, she’s terrible,” Maru said quietly to Abby.

“...hmm...” Abby murmured as she watched Kay closely. Maru picked up on Abby’s distraction instantly.

“What is it?”

Abby shook her head. “You ever get the impression you’re being swindled?”

“Yeah, whenever Seb cons me into playing.”

“You think he’d recognize it if it happened to him?” Abby looked at Maru, who raised her eyebrows. They both turned back to the game just as Sebastian put the 8-ball where it belonged.

“And that’s game,” he said, calmly. Kay nodded, clearly impressed.

“Woof, that was pretty rough.” Kay counted out 80 gold and handed it over.

“Much obliged.” He sat down and finished his beer.

“Still, it was a lot of fun. Want to play another?” Kay looked hopeful, while Seb looked doubtful.

“Kay, maybe cut your losses on this one,” Sam warned her.

“Come on, I think I was getting pretty good at the end there! Come on, Sebastian, give me a chance to win my money back.”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian mused, “my time is pretty valuable. I couldn’t possibly, unless...”

“Unless what?” Maru asked warily. Abby noticed that Mr. Wright had wandered over to the bar stool next to the game room and was listening in surreptitiously. She didn’t notice Haley take a stool next to him.

“Well, the stakes seem a little low. I might be interested in a rematch for a nice round number. Say, oh... 100 gold a ball?”

Maru and Sam gasped. “Come on, Seb,” Sam warned, “that’s a little much, even for you.”

Sebastian ignored his friends for the moment. “I’ll even let you break again, just to be fair. What do you say?”

Kay audibly gulped before slowly nodding. “Okay then. 100 gold a ball.”

Seb smiled. “Hey, Gus, another round, please, on my tab.”

Demetrius and Haley looked at each other, smiling. “This should be interesting,” Demetrius said into his lager. Haley nodded, sipping her cosmo and watching Kay out of the corner of her eye.

“Sure thing!” Gus called, prepping a tray. “Same again all around?”

“Actually,” Kay said, “I’ll take a Glamdring this time.”

Abby and Maru looked up in shock, and Haley’s eyes widened. “Did, did she just...” Abby started to ask. Maru nodded.

“Huh, haven’t heard of that,” Sam mused, “sounds like a doppelbock?”

Gus winked at Demetrius as he withdrew a long, black leather case from under the bar and placed it on a tray alongside the other drinks. “Oh, nooooooo,” he said, laughing at his son’s predicament. He felt bad, but Sebastian had it coming, and at least they weren’t playing straight pool. Haley scrunched her face up, trying to remember from where she heard that name.

Gus brought the tray over, handing Kay the case before setting the drinks down on the table. Seb hadn’t noticed the hand-off, focused on receiving his new drink, so he also didn’t see Kay take off her bomber jacket and hang it on a nearby hook. Abby and Maru’s breath caught in their throats; Kay wore a black, button-down shirt under a crimson vest, light tan suspenders matching her slacks over her shoulders. The top third of the shirt was unbuttoned, revealing the deep cleavage of her chest contained by a corset that matched the vest.

“Hey,” Sam exclaimed, “she’s dressed like Jessie Rocket!” Jessie ‘The Razor’ Rocket was three-time World Women’s Billiard Champion, but she didn’t look _anything_ like Kay.

Kay placed the case on the pool table, opening it and withdrawing the pool cue pieces it contained. It was a graphite-colored hardrock maple cue with a finely inlaid gold filigree depicting elvish runes. She screwed the pieces together as Seb turned, choking on his beer at the sight.

“What is _that_?” Sebastian asked incredulously.

“The Foehammer,” the girls whispered in unison.

“ **The end of the Age of Men.** ” Kay responded.

Kay’s voice deepened slightly and took on a sharp, resolute edge. Her words seemed to resonate throughout the bar. Kay blushed a little, letting her voice get away from her like that, but it felt appropriate.

Abby heard a small gasp beside her and turned. Maru was extremely flushed, her gaze locked on Kaylia’s intensely seductive form.

“Did... did you just...?” Abby whispered, surmising that the literary reference shoved Maru over a very short ledge.

“Shut up!” Maru hissed back. “I mean... didn’t you?”

“No!” Abby denied, shifting in her seat to adjust her erection and hoping her pussy wasn’t soaking through her panties.

Across the way, Haley loved seeing the effect Kaylia had on Maru. She fully expected to tease her love about it later before giving Maru the chance to work all that tension out. “I think Maru is much taken with Miss Gardner, sensei,” she said, taking another sip of her drink.

Demetrius saw his daughter’s reaction and frowned, but only a little. “I shouldn’t be surprised, I hear she’s turning all the ladies’ heads.” He glanced at Haley, eyebrow raised, and she grinned coyly.

“My break, you said?” Kay applied a bit of chalk from her own supply as she approached the head of the table. While she didn’t have nearly the same exhibitionist streak as her sisters did, especially carnally, she did occasionally like to put on a show. Sebastian’s ego had been on full display a few minutes ago, and Kay was happy to knock it down a bit.

She leaned over and lined up behind the cue ball, and the blood slowly drained from Sebastian’s face as he noted her now superior form. She drew the cue back and forth a bit, reacquainting herself with the instrument, before she glanced over her shoulder. Blowing a kiss to the girls at the table, she locked eyes with them as she struck.

***THWACK***

The break made a very satisfying sound, and the balls scattered across the table. A quick survey and Kay saw she had pocketed the 11- and 14-balls. By rights, with the table now open, she should claim stripes, but where would the fun in that be? She looked up to see Leah, Elliot, and the other parents joining the crowd to watch the game.

“1-ball, side pocket.” She lined up and took the shot, the cue ball glancing off the 1 and sending it into the side pocket with a *THUNK*. The cue ball continued into a pack of balls in the center of the table, breaking them up a bit more.

Kay rounded the table, looking for her next shot. She found it with little difficulty. “2-ball, corner pocket.” She leaned over, ensuring the girls (and Sam to a lesser extent) got a good look at her cleavage, as the shot banked off the rail and collided with the 2-ball. *THUNK* She stood slowly, winking at the girls before scanning the table.

She continued to take her shots in numerical order rather than by proximity. It was clear to the spectators, Demetrius and Haley especially, that Kay was giving a masterclass in top-level play. Every shot was clean and on-target, the cue ball sailing around the table with precision and grace. “3-ball, side pocket.” *THUNK* “4-ball, corner pocket.” *THUNK* “5-ball, corner pocket.” *THUNK*

It really wasn’t fair, if Kay was being honest. Tactical and visualization talents aside, she had only picked up the game a century ago, when it first became popular, so this was mostly natural rather than magical skill, but, still. She didn’t feel too bad, she certainly wasn’t going to demand payment. Especially not with Sebastian’s dad right there. (She’d noticed his smirk when she broke, and the smug grin remained as she cleared the table, so she thought she might have his tacit approval, at least.)

“Are you seeing this?!” Sam asked Sebastian, awestruck by Kay’s performance. “How long have you been playing, Kay? You’re incredible!”

“Oh, a little while, and thank you kindly! Six in the side.” *THUD* *THUD* *THUNK*

_This is unreal_ , Sebastian thought. As soon as she lined up the break shot, Seb knew he’d been suckered, and completely. What worried him now was paying what he would owe; he wasn’t a welsher but he didn’t happen to have over 700 gold on him at the moment.

Abigail and Maru had unconsciously grabbed each other’s hand as they watched Kay work. Kay’s command of the table was powerful, precise, and intensely erotic. Any reservations Abby had of going further than conversation later were gone, and she desperately needed Kay’s lips on hers before the night was out. Maru was likewise bewitched, her vivid imagination picturing a torrid scene involving Kay, Haley, and the pool table. She clamped down hard on both imagination and her legs to avoid her arousal being on full display.

All throughout the match, Demetrius provided Haley with quiet commentary. He had caught on to Kay’s game early, and had started anticipating Kay’s shots. Haley was able to follow Demetrius’s reasoning, his explanations making perfect sense as they unfolded on the table. She wasn’t at the point where she could make the same analysis without his help, that likely wouldn’t start for another year of practice and experience. It was incredibly instructive, and she looked forward to a more practical demonstration.

Kay put the 7-ball where it belonged and examined the table. The remaining stripes were scattered across the table, making a direct line on the 8-ball impossible. Most one- and two-bank shots were similarly obscured, and a combination shot off of a stripe seemed tacky. Kay knew her pride was rearing up here, she wanted a clean shot. She thought a bit longer, then decided.

“Hey, Sam,” she said, waving him to the side, “would you mind scooting over a bit?” Sam was standing in line with the shot, no sense taking chances. Sam nodded and moved over to the table, joining the girls. “Thank you. 8-ball, corner pocket.”

She lined her cue up, then raised it to strike at a sharp angle. The change sent the cue ball into the air, jumping over the intervening striped balls, to smack the 8-ball squarely and send it caroming into the pocket with a satisfying *THUNK*. She stood up and smiled.

“Thus endeth the lesson for today.”

*****

The tension bled out of the game room as Kay joined Sebastian to lean against the wall. The spectators applauded Kay before returning to their previous groups or joining the run on the ladies’ rest room.

“Seriously, how long have you been playing?” Sebastian asked.

“Long enough,” Kay replied, laughing.

“You could have said something, you know. I accept constructive criticism.”

“Sure, but this was more fun.”

“For _who?_ ”

“Just be thankful we weren’t playing 14.1, it’s entirely possible you’d owe several thousand gold right now.”

They snickered before Seb turned serious.

“Listen, ah, about the money...”

Kay was about to wave it off when Demetrius, Robin, and Pierre came over. “Quite a game, Kay.” Demetrius said. Robin went to Sebastian and placed an arm around him.

“It’s okay, honey,” Robin said, consoling the boy and mussing his black emo hair, “everyone gets worked sometimes.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Seb grumbled, leaning into his mom’s hug.

“I have to be honest,” Kay mused, “I wasn’t expecting the local champ to be such a chump.” This drew loud laughs from the parents and Sam.

“Wait, you thought _Sebastian_ was the champ?” Sam asked. “I mean, he’s good, but he’s not that good.” Seb punched him in the shoulder.

Kay must have missed something when she talked to Pierre. “He isn’t?” She threw a glance at the shopkeeper, who smirked and pointed to his left.

“Oh, you had the ‘right’ family,” Demetrius said, producing a black velvet case similar to Kay’s leather one as everyone groaned at his terrible joke, “but Gus doesn’t keep Lucille here behind the bar for Sebastian.”

_Of course_ , she realized. “Noted.” She extended a hand for the updated introduction.

“Of course,” Demetrius continued, “I am duty-bound to challenge you for the sake of my dear step-son’s honor,” Kay could hear Sebastian rolling his eyes, “but it’s late, and we should be getting along.”

The girls rejoined the group, Maru hugging Demetrius on her way out (following Haley), Caroline putting her arm around Pierre, and Abby looking hopefully at her parents.

Caroline took the hint. “I agree with Demetrius, I think it’s time for home, don’t you?”

Pierre nodded, faking a yawn. “Oh, my, look at the time! I shouldn’t be out this late, I’ll be useless tomorrow.” They said their goodbyes and started for the door, with Sebastian and his parents shortly behind them. Kay turned and entwined arms with Abby.

“So, any plans?” Kay asked, waving to Gus and Emily as they left the tavern.

“I was kind of hoping to hang out with this girl I met,” Abby replied, “she’s all kinds of amazing. TMI maybe, but she gets my dick hard and my pussy soaked.”

Kay snorted at the lewd response as she turned them west towards Red Dragon Road.

“You wanna go make out?” Kay had inflected it as a joke, but reconsidered the wisdom of it when Abby broke away. Kay turned to see the smile gone. “I’m sorry, I was-”

She was interrupted as Abby brought her face to Kay’s, drawing them into a deep kiss. Abby’s heart raced as she embraced Kay, even more so as Kay returned it. They stood there for a moment before the kiss ended, and Kaylia looked down into Abigail’s purple eyes, sparkling with mirth.

“I know this is fast,” Abby said, “but I need you tonight. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” She bit her lip as she lost herself in Kay’s crimson eyes.

Kay hesitated briefly. That offer of anything, again. “...so that’s a yes to make-outs, then.”

*****

They had disrobed by the time they reached the greenhouse nest, and they kissed slowly as their hands explored each other’s bodies. They moaned softly as they embraced, tongues dancing in long, languid kisses. They did little else for a while, content to merely hold, kiss, and caress, despite the hardnesses between them aching for more direct stimulation. Occasionally, they would separate to lavish each other’s breasts with attention, kneading them, licking and sucking sensitive nipples, before returning to kiss deeply.

After a while, Abigail turned to lay her head against Kaylia’s, lying side by side and looking up at a vast network of stars. The cool night air was refreshing, and they lost themselves staring into that starry expanse.

“Have you ever done this before?” Kay asked. She wanted to know everything about this beautiful woman, it seemed appropriate to start with histories.

Abby shook her head. “Sebastian and I fooled around once, it was nice, but we both needed to figure out what we wanted and weren’t exactly interested in being partners.”

“I bet he wasn’t expecting this.” Kay indicated Abby’s cock with a glance.

“He was actually relieved, he knew what to do with that part, at least.” Kay smirked.

“May I?” she asked. Abby nodded her head, and Kay smiled warmly as she gently wrapped her hand around Abby’s cock. Its girth filled her hand easily, and she hefted it a moment before releasing it and running her fingers along its length.

“You have a wonderful cock, Abigail,” she said, softly kissing her neck. She slowly worked her way back down past the base to trace her fingers along the thin lips of Abby’s pussy. She carefully dipped a finger past them into the warm folds, and Abby gasped from the sensation. She was so wet, and Kay wanted to make use of it.

“Thank you, Kaylia,” Abby eventually responded.

“What do you like to do?” Kay asked, nibbling at Abby’s ear. She gathered Abby’s moistness in her hand before slowly stroking Abby’s cock. Abby’s hips shifted involuntarily, and she moaned from the sensation of someone else’s hand touching her most intimate areas.

“Um, this,” Abby responded eventually, getting a laugh from Kay, “I like this a lot. I like to be kissed, but I think you know that by now. I think I really like having my tongue sucked on. I’m not really...” She found it harder to concentrate as Kay started stroking her at a steady pace.

“You don’t know what you like, but you want to find out,” Kay surmised, and Abby nodded her head. “Okay, how about you pick a fantasy and tell me about it?” Kay nuzzled into Abby’s neck, planting small kisses as she continued to stroke.

“Anything I w-want?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“...promise you won’t get weirded out?” A twinge of fear caught Abby off-guard, but Kay held her close in her left arm.

“No judgments, I promise.” Her voice was warm and soothing, and Abby relaxed.

“Okay.”

*****

_I’m making love with someone. I can’t tell who it is, but they fill me completely. I feel loved, and desired, and I’m crazy horny for their cock. I’m so full, and they take their time thrusting in and out of me, it’s absolutely divine. I’m on my back, and they’re holding on to me by my tits, so they’re playing with my nipples as they start to fuck me harder. It feels so good, especially when they drive themselves all the way in and we grind our hips together._

_That’s when someone else starts sucking on my cock. They take me deep into their mouth and throat before they start bobbing on it, their lips and tongue feel so good wrapped around me. Soon, I start getting fucked and sucked in tandem, and the way it lines up, it almost feels like I’m fucking myself. I go wild, out of control, I start shouting “Yes! Fuck me! Suck my cock! Please don’t stop!”_

_I’m losing my mind, I never want this to stop. I’m getting closer and closer to cumming, and my partners are too. We’re all connected and I can feel so much love and desire from them, I hope they feel the same from me. I hold off as long as I can, and the cock inside me starts pulsing, filling me with cum. It’s so warm, it drives me right to the edge. That’s when I look down, and I recognize the lips that are sucking me. When she turns to look me right in the eyes, and I finally know who is going down on me, I can’t hold it any longer, and I flood her mouth just as she starts to cum herself. It seems to last forever, and I don’t think I’ve ever cum so hard in my life._

_When it all subsides, they both crawl up on either side of me, and I’m wrapped up in their arms. I feel so safe, and so loved. We fall asleep, and I never want it to end._

*****

Kay’s pace slowly increased as Abby told the story. It was incredibly hot, and Kay resisted the urge to try and jerk herself at the same time. She focused on Abby’s pleasure, kissing her neck and face while stroking that big girlcock. Soon, it started leaking precum, and Kay used it to keep lubricated. The aroma was amazing, and again Kay resisted her impulse to take things further than hands.

When Abby finished the story, Kay moved to her ear.

“Who was it?” she whispered, speeding up. Abby writhed under the assault, moaning uncontrollably.

“It... oh, Goddess...”

“Tell me, who was lucky enough to taste you?” Kay felt Abby’s cock begin to pulse as her orgasm finally arrived.

“OH, MOM!” Abby cried as she came, jets of clear issue covering her breasts, stomach, and Kay’s hand. Her cries continued as Kay milked her for every drop, until Abby turned and pulled Kay into a searing kiss. They moaned into each other’s mouths as Abby’s climax receded, slowly relaxing into a tender embrace. Kay scooped up some of Abby’s cum with a finger and sucked on it. It was very sweet, almost like strawberry honey, and she proceeded to clean Abby with her mouth. As the haze of ecstasy lifted, Abby looked down to watch what would be an intensely arousing display if she weren’t completely spent.

“Oh, wow,” Abby said breathlessly. Kay looked up.

“Figured we’d get this out of the way now, I LOVE LOVE LOVE cum,” Kay smiled, licking her lips lasciviously. Abby laughed. “Want some?”

Abby’s eyes widened before she gave a tiny nod. Kay moved up, took Abby’s chin in her hand, and kissed her. When Abby’s mouth opened, she felt Kay’s tongue deposit a sweet, tangy substance in her mouth. It wasn’t unpleasant, and she tasted more of it as their kiss deepened.

“That’s different,” she said as the kiss ended. She liked it, but it felt a little weird to taste her own cum.

“It’s not for everyone, and that’s okay,” Kay smiled, rubbing their noses together and getting a giggle from Abby. She rolled over and they again embraced side by side. “So... your mother, huh.”

Abby blushed. “She walked in on me jerking off once, and she stayed to watch. When I realized she was going to stay, I got so hot, I came on the spot.”

“Wow.” Kay agreed that it was pretty hot, but it was also concerning given the other things she was noticing. Again, she wished her youngest sister were there to help make sense of it. And for other, more personal reasons, but mostly for the magical analysis.

“So, have you and Caroline ever...” Kay let the question hang, hoping it wasn’t too forward. She was a little surprised and relieved when Abby shook her head.

“No, and I don’t think either of us wants to. It’s a fun fantasy to have, I know she has similar fantasies about me, but it doesn’t really appeal to us. We’ve always been super close, and the flirting and sexy jokes are just another layer to that.” Abby paused for a moment, then continued. “We definitely listen to each other get off, though.”

“What? Like, you listen to your parents have sex?”

“The walls between our rooms are kind of thin and, honestly, it’s super hot. Dad will get her really worked up sometimes, and Mom and I will say things to each other; ‘I’m cumming for you, Mommy’, ‘cum in Mommy’s mouth, baby girl,’ that kind of thing; but that’s as far as it goes.” Abby’s frankness surprised Kay a little, but it was clear Abby appreciated having someone else to talk to about these things.

“So the person pounding you in your fantasy, it’s not-”

“NO, GROSS!” Abby giggled. “That’s my _dad_ you’re talking about. Ugh.”

_Curiouser and curiouser_ , Kay thought as they held each other and gazed at the stars. Something was warping the land’s love for the people (if she understood Melvyn’s explanation, which wasn’t a sure thing) and turning it into high-octane lust between them, but why only in certain ways? Why wasn’t the town one free-for-all orgy by now? The passion between Maru and Haley seemed real enough, especially after the sex, but Kay had known Haley for all of three minutes before the blonde put on serious ‘fuck me’ eyes. And now, Abby and Caroline’s shared fantasies, only discussed or mentioned in the heat of separate passions, but what if something tipped them from fantasy to reality?

_I should really talk to Melvyn again,_ she concluded.

“Okay, time for me to ask a few questions, Miss Gardner,” Abby said after a few minutes, rolling over onto her arms to look at Kay. “What do you like to do?”

“Oral.” Kay said, flatly.

“Just... oral?” Abby replied.

“Giving, receiving, I love licking things, sucking things; it is very easy for me to get off when my mouth is somehow involved.”

“You like oral more than penetration?” Abby was fascinated.

“Hands down. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love pussy, but I can fuck a girl for like an hour and hold off, and then explode inside of sixty seconds if I’m licking her clean or she goes down on me.”

“Wow, that’s intense. You ever play with boys?”

Nodded. “Not nearly as much, but I don’t turn them away.”

“You ever fuck a guy’s butt?”

Kay shook her head. “No thanks. If a guy wants to exchange handjobs, great, no problem. If he wants a blowjob, love it, totally down with that. If he wants to suck me off too, even better! But under no circumstances am I interested in plundering that particular cove, if’n ye take my meaning, matey.”

Abby laughed at the sudden pirate voice. “Aye-aye, cap’n,” she replied, saluting smartly. “What else?”

Kay glanced askew at Abby. “You need more?”

“Yes, please, I need to know everything about you, I find I’m becoming obsessed with you.”

Kay winced inwardly at that, but those were bridges she would have to cross eventually. Not tonight.

“Okay, well, I already said I love cum, you saw that.”

“I did, yes.”

“I love giant boobs.”

“Who doesn’t?” Abby smirked. “You and Maru would probably get along _very_ well.”

“Oh, mama... uh,” Kay drifted off, picturing Maru’s massive boobs in her face and mouth, and suddenly felt like a heel. “I mean, yeah, unless you aren’t interested in sharing. Also, apologies for picturing another woman when you’re right here. Bad form, I expect.” Kay continued babbling as the hole she was digging got deeper. “Not that I think we’re in a committed relationship! We just made out and I gave you a handjob, so I’m obviously into you, but I don’t want to-”

Abby smiled, cutting Kay off with a sweet kiss. “Thank you for considering my feelings, but no joke, if I weren’t terrified of what she’d think of me, I’d be buried in her tits any chance I got. If she were interested, I mean.”

Kay laughed, she was in complete agreement. She thought of something less sexy and more romantic. “Oh! Making out to prog rock. Love that, especially slower stuff where you can transition from make-outs to a nap.”

“...where have you been my ENTIRE life.”

They laughed and shared another kiss. Kay grabbed the quilt and pulled it over them, snuggling up to Abby and taking her in her arms.

“Kay, is it alright if I don’t want to go any further than this?”

“In terms of tonight, or the foreseeable future?”

“Both, but mostly the second one.”

“That’s totally okay. We can take this as quickly or as slowly as you want.”

“It’s okay I’m a little too wiped to help you out?” The concern in Abby’s voice was genuine and touching.

Kay was a little disappointed, but having Abby’s soft, sensual body pressed against her own was more than enough compensation. “You know, when we left the bar, I was absolutely prepared to only go as far as cuddling, tee bee aitch.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

They snuggled under the quilt, looking up at the stars.

“Just to be clear, you mean hands only.”

Abby snorted. “We can discuss the possibility of blowjobs once we’ve known each other for more than three days.”

“I will mark my calendar... I will go to Robin’s tomorrow to buy a calendar and mark it.”

Some nearby owls hooted peaceably, as the girls settled into each other. Kay knew the answer, but asked the question anyway.

“...Abigail Chandler, would you spend the night here with me?”

“Kaylia Gardner, I would love to spend the night with you.”

*****

Kay slowly realized someone was stroking her cock, and it wasn’t her. She didn’t know how long she had been snoozing, nor what time it was, but she couldn’t mistake the feeling of a soft hand drawing itself along her hardening member. She moaned at the sensation, it had been a long time since she’d played with anyone, and her hips ground into the hand, urging it on.

“I’m sorry, Kaylia” Abby whispered in Kay’s ear, “I know I should have asked first, but I felt so bad you didn’t get a chance to cum. May I continue?”

Abby gasped as she felt Kay grow rock-solid in her grip, and again when it pulsed and a trickle of precum dripped onto her fingers.

“Yes, Abigail,” Kay exhaled, Abby could do whatever she wanted right now.

“Thank you.” Abby spread Kay’s precum over her cock and started stroking in a slow, regular rhythm. “You’re so hard, and so soft at the same time, it’s amazing.”

Kay’s hips bucked as waves of pleasure overtook her. Abby pulled the quilt over to expose them to the night air and to see Kay better. Her body was a study in contradiction, muscles and soft curves. She was absolutely beautiful in the pale starlight, and Abby wanted nothing more than to make her scream.

“This feels so good,” Abby said in Kay’s ear, “do you like it?”

“Uh-huh,” Kay said between breaths. Abby’s technique was on point, varying her pressure and tempo to keep Kay’s climax at bay whilst torturing her with ecstasy.

“Yeah? You like getting jerked off with my tits pressed against your face?” Abby shifted and smashed her boobs into Kay, who wasted no time taking a big nipple into her mouth and sucking. “Ah! Yes, please, suck my tits while I jerk your cock!”

Their moans grew louder as Kay got closer to release. Abby was infatuated with Kay’s girlcock, it felt so good to hold, to stroke, to watch as it leaked precum wildly. The aroma was utterly intoxicating, and she knew what she wanted to do when Kay finally came.

“Are you close?” she asked, speeding up. Kay nodded, moaning wildly. “Tell me what’s going to happen.”

“I’m... ah...” Kay struggled to speak as Abby’s relentless pace drove her wild. “I’m gonna cum all over us!”

“You want to make a big mess?”

“Yes, PLEAAAASE, I want to cum sooo baaaaad...”

Abby smirked. “What if I don’t want you to make a mess?”

“No! Don’t- aaah... don’t stop...” Kay was going wild, she was just about ready to pop.

“I’m not going to stop, silly girl...”

Kay saw the fiendish smile as Abby shifted down, bringing her face next to Kay’s cock and tapping herself in the cheek with it.

Kay stared at the beautiful girl as she was about to burst. “W-what...” she managed to get out.

Abby smiled. “I want to taste you!” She angled Kay’s cock up and wrapped her lips around the head.

“AAAAAAAH!” Kay screamed as she came, the first burst of cum filling Abby’s mouth. She swallowed as much as she could; the taste was almost indescribable, salty and sweet and addicting, and more kept squirting into her mouth as she milked Kay for all she was worth. She shuddered as she received a small orgasm of her own, her moan eliciting more creamy goodness from Kay’s cock.

Kay was out of her mind. Her orgasms were never as powerful when she pleasured herself, and while she could tell Abby was a novice, she was more than qualified to coax the biggest load Kay had produced in a long time. Abby did her best to swallow as much as she could, but she couldn’t stem the flood, and cum leaked out of the sides of her mouth onto Kay.

Once Kay’s orgasm ended, Abby promptly began licking the escaped cum back up, stroking the last of it into her mouth and savoring it. Kay sat up and pulled Abby to her, driving her tongue into Abby’s mouth to steal some of her essence. Abby submitted completely, and they shared Kay’s cum in a messy kiss. The kiss continued as they laid back down, Kay pulling the quilt over them again as they entwined themselves.

“I thought you said blowjobs weren’t on the table yet.” Kay chided with a giggle.

“That wasn’t a blowjob,” Abby protested, “I jerked you off into my mouth. You taste amazing, by the way.”

“Yeah, I do!”

They laughed as they snuggled back in and drifted to sleep without further interruptions.

*****

Melvyn stared at the crystal suspended above the magic circle. The sudden flare of energy merited investigation, but when he realized it was coming from Red Dragon Farm, he peered no closer. He was only interested due to the scale of the surge, anyway, the energy was clearly of beneficial character. He smirked, wondering with whom the general was making time, before returning to the matter at hand.

With a wave of his hand, the image in the crystal pulled back until the entire valley was in view. He closed his eyes and slowly pushed his perception outward, focusing on the image of the valley. The leylines began to appear, beams of light connecting points all around the town and valley, and to others beyond. The sudden surge of energy was already being drawn off and redistributed along those lines. A lot of it headed to the black hole that was the JojaMart, but Melvyn was surprised to see it break off and surround it, rather than be absorbed into nothingness as it had in the past. The lines that terminated in the building all seemed to brighten just a little, and they stayed that way, so that was a clear improvement.

Still, some of that energy was vanishing as it traveled the webway (Melvyn’s pet name for the network of leylines and evidence of his Warhammer fandom). Something was siphoning it off, as he surmised, but he couldn’t tell to where that stray energy was going. There had to be some connection he couldn’t yet make, something to do with the leyline redirections he’d finally noticed recently.

“Yoba’s sake, dad,” Melvyn said to himself, “what were you trying to _do?_ ”

*****

Spring 6, Year 1

Kay awoke outside, alone. She quickly sat up and looked around; her clothes were where she had left them, but Abby’s were gone. She surprised herself when she felt disappointed that Abby snuck out on her. As she took stock of her deepening feelings towards the girl, she heard some splashing from the more northern pond.

Abby was currently scrubbing herself down, fully awakened by the chilled water. She’d found soap and washcloths and wanted to wash before heading home. She’d never hear the end of it from Caroline if she arrived to help prep the shop smelling of sex. She’d probably never hear the end of it anyway, this would be prime teasing material for at least a week. She smiled, she couldn’t wait to tell her mom all about her sexy rendezvous.

Kay wandered over, taking in Abby’s gorgeous naked form. Her cock stiffened, but Kay willed it back down, obviously Abby needed to get going. So did Kay, if she was honest, she had a lot to do before heading to the mine for the ores Clint had mentioned.

“Room for one more?” Kay asked. Abby smiled and waved her over.

“Absolutely, but keep your hands to yourself, I’m going to be late enough as it is.”

Kay stepped into the pool and accepted the soap from Abby, lathering up and spreading it over her breasts, arms, and torso first. Kay dunked her head under the water as Abby stepped out to dry off. She watched Kay continue to wash, taking more lather and stroking her cock quickly to clean it up. Abby noticed with envy that Kay’s body was completely hairless.

“Ugh, it must be so nice, never having to shave,” she commented. Kay looked over, and Abby held up her forearms. Kay noticed a light purple fuzz and comprehended.

“Yeah, I’ve never had that particular problem. Which is weird, now that I think about it.” It wasn’t actually, she had been designed that way well before she made the Imperial wizards realize she would _not_ be their personal sex slave. Painfully.

“Lucky.”

Kay wondered about the body image issues Abby referenced occasionally. She knew they didn’t have much time, but she wanted to at least explore them a little.

“Do you really think Maru would freak out if she learned you had a dick?” she asked as Abby started dressing.

“I don’t know. I get that she’s an engineer, I don’t doubt she’d understand the medical science behind it, but, I’d be so worried she’d be grossed out if I said I wanted to have sexy times with her.” Abby thought for a moment. “She might also be seeing someone? If that’s the case, I sure don’t want to affect that.”

Kay’s eyebrow raised. “What makes you say that?”

“A lot of little things. She’s been flaking out on us a lot lately, and she always seems a little on edge when we do hang out. Like she’s hiding something, or maybe wants to tell us something but is afraid to.”

“Like you telling her about your personal attributes.”

“Yeah,” Abby nodded, “sort of. I asked Penny about it the last time she was in the store, she and Maru are besties, and she said Maru was super worried about this project she’s working on with her dad. It made sense, Maru talks a lot about being terrified of disappointing him.” Abby stood as she finished lacing her boots. “Although, Penny was kind of evasive about it, too.”

“Do you have any idea who she’d be seeing?” Kay asked.

Abby shook her head. “I can’t figure it out. I’d ask Sebastian about it, but he’s useless for a step-brother.”

“Never mind that girls aren’t exactly in his wheelhouse?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t help either.”

Kay stepped out of the pond and accepted a towel from Abby. After quickly drying off, they kissed goodbye, Abby taking a quick fondle of Kay’s balls before separating. She laughed at Kay’s sudden gasp.

“Just something to remember for later!” Abby booped Kay’s nose as she walked away.

“Yeah, THANKS A LOT.” Kay smiled, her eyes glued to Abby’s swaying butt, before starting to dress. The crops awaited, after all.

*****

“Hellloooo? Anyone home?”

Kay was on the eastern edge of the farm, clearing more trees and debris when she heard the call from in front of the cabin. “Just a minute!” she called back. She gave the tree she had been working on a swift kick, sending it crashing to the ground before she stepped around it. She could see Marnie waving as he headed over, and then noticed a small cat sitting upright on the porch.

“Hey there, Kay!” Marnie was again dressed in green and red, and her outfit did a stellar job of showing off her exceptional curves. Kay had only gotten a brief look when they’d met at Pierre’s previously, and now took her time taking in the ranch owner’s figure. Like many of the girls she had met in Pelican Town, Marnie was sporting a substantial set of tits, though her rancher’s work clothing obscured them a bit. But more than that, Marnie carried a little extra weight than the others, and it appeared well distributed.

Kay also got a much better look at Marnie’s facial features. She had warm brown eyes, and like the rest of her body, her face was full and soft. She had her chestnut hair tied into a large side-braid, and Kay could now see flecks of silver in it, hinting that she was part of the older crowd, or at least just joining it. Her smile was infectious, and her sparkling eyes reinforced that joy.

When Kay went to shake hands, she found herself wrapped in a big hug. “Sorry!” Marnie said, “Should’a warned you, I’m a hugger.” Marnie’s head barely came up past Kay’s endowment, and Kay saw Marnie’s face color as it pressed lightly into the soft mounds.

“Maybe not that sorry,” Marnie said with a giggle as they parted.

“What can I do for you, madame rancher?” Kay asked. Marnie indicated the cat on the porch.

“Well, I was on my way past the southern gate to the farm when I noticed this little girl rooting around!” Kay looked down and noticed the cat was sitting upright, very politely, and looking right at her. “I think she might be a stray, poor thing,” Marnie continued, “but she seems to like the farm alright!”

Kay regarded the cat, as the cat regarded Kay. It was definitely a shorthair of some variety, with the scattered orange, black, and white fur of a calico. For a stray, she seemed a little... chubby, but her coat appeared very clean for an outdoor cat. The cat walked over and reared up on her hind paws, resting her front paws on Kay’s thigh, giving a soft “mew”. Suddenly, Kay was holding the cat in her arms, and the cat was nuzzling into Kay’s neck and purring vigorously.

“...what just happened.” Kay said.

“Oh, isn’t that the cutest thing ever!” Marnie gushed. “I’d say you two are friends forever, now!”

Kay looked down at the cat. Its fur was distractingly soft and warm, and she noticed she was softly petting the cat’s head and back almost by reflex. It wasn’t wearing a collar, so it likely didn’t have an owner. Did she need a cat? Did anyone ever need a cat?

“You know,” Marnie said, “your grandma kept a cat here, I remember that tomcat ruling over this place, following them around on their chores like like lord of the manor.” Kay had totally forgotten about Macavity! Kim had written when they found him wandering the farm and decided to keep him.

“Well, I think she’s staying,” Kay said, “She’s grafted onto my neck at this point.”

Marnie clapped. “Great! Every farm needs a good cat! Alright, I should get back, the girls get anxious when I’m gone for too long, spoils the milk.”

“Sure thing, thanks for stopping by, Marnie!”

“Of course, sugar! You stop by the ranch, sometime, I’d love to get acquainted once you’re settled in!” She winked mischievously and headed south. Kay tried to wave goodbye without dislodging the cat. She failed, and the cat hopped down and wandered over to the porch.

“I suppose you need a name,” Kay said.

“Meow,” the cat said.

“I don’t know what that means,” Kay replied.

“Meow!” the cat said.

“And I’m sure it’s a very nice name, but I don’t speak cat and I doubt you want me calling you Meow all the time.” Kay was surprisingly entertained by this conversation.

“Hmpf.” the cat grunted. It appeared less entertained.

“Alright, alright,” Kay said, thinking. “How about Luna? I know you’re not a black cat, but it’s a fine name, anyway.”

The cat sat up and meowed cheerfully. Kay smiled. “Luna it is, then! Welcome aboard!” It occurred to her that either this was a very amenable cat, or it could understand her, which was patently ridiculous.

Kay surveyed the farm and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of area she’d been able to clear in a week. She had already watered the crops and stacked the lumber and stone from her earlier clearing, barring the tree she fell right before Marnie’s visit. Kay decided that could wait for the time being. She had business on the mountain today.

*****

Kay knocked at Robin’s front door before entering, as directed by the sign indicating the carpenter’s hours. The shop potion of the house was rustic and warm, with a small waiting area to her left and a hallway to the right, through which she could see a brightly lit laboratory. Robin was seated behind a large mahogany desk with some woodworking manuals in front of her. She looked distracted and hadn’t noticed Kay enter, most likely due to Demetrius’s tongue attacking her pussy.

“Uh, Robin?” Kay asked. Robin looked up with a start, nearly causing Demetrius to hit his head against the desk.

“Hi! Kaylia! How are you?” Robin asked, a little louder than necessary. Demetrius suppressed a giggle before slowly pulling Robin closer and returning to his ministrations. Robin clasped her hands on her desk, leaning forward.

“I’m well, yourself?” Kay kept her face neutral, but the faint scent that reached her nose was explanation enough.

“Great, I’m just great, just, ah-... just catching up on some techniques reading!” She indicated the manuals in front of her, doing her damnedest to distract herself from her husband’s oral assault.

“Sure, sure,” Kay smiled and sat on a nearby chair. “Are you busy? I could come back later.”

“N-no! Now’s fine, I’m happy you came by! What ca-aan I do for you?” She kicked Demetrius, who withdrew his tongue and started licking the entire length of her opening, occasionally licking the tip of her clit.

“I wanted to discuss remodeling and new construction, actually. I’ve got plenty of materials building up, and I wanted to get an idea of what we can do once I have the cash to fund projects.” Internally, Kay was cracking up, but she really wanted to see what Robin could do. As a carpenter.

“Yeah! I’d be happy to go over some plans and ideas I had when I was fixing the cabin up!” _Goddess bless you_ , Robin thought, she might have a chance of not totally embarrassing herself if she could focus.

“Awesome!” Kay withdrew some sketches from her back pocket and spread them on the desk, noting Robin moving closer as she did so. They were rough drawings of the farm, with notes on what areas had been cleared as well as estimates of total square footage once everything was cleared away. Robin asked questions about Kay’s long term goals: what she would be focusing on, whether she’d also be raising animals, additional workspace needs. As she and Kay got deep into the discussion, Robin remained aware of the warmth in her core, but found it much easier to weather the distraction.

Demetrius knew Robin was incredibly turned on by this turn of events, as a fresh pulse of moisture greeted him as the discussion continued. He was incredibly turned on, not only by the sweet bounty before him but by the passion in Robin’s voice as they talked. He hoped that Robin would be interested in returning the attention once her business with the attractive farmer was concluded (she almost always did). He lapped at her nectar before turning his attention to her clit, a devilish idea forming.

“So you’d probably want that space for SHEDS!” Robin had been indicating building placement when Demetrius wrapped his warm lips around her clit and gently licked, sending powerful waves of pleasure through her body. She stamped on the floor with her right foot a few times, battling the intense sensation.

“Everything alright?” Kay asked, her voice tinged with concern.

“Yeah, sorry, my foot likes to c-cramp up sometimes,” Robin apologized. “Nothing to wooorry about.” _Why does he have to be_ so _good at this?_ she wondered.

“Yeah, my leg does that sometimes, it sucks.” Kay commiserated. “So, you think separate sheds for the kegs and the other processing, smelting and such?”

Robin nodded, fighting off an orgasm as Demetrius softly moaned into her body. She somehow regained control as they sketched out spots for a chicken coop, a barn, feed silos, and the aforementioned sheds. Once they had decided on a rough outline of outbuildings, they turned to the house itself. Kay had some ideas about that, specifically a much-needed kitchen and some space for drafting equipment. Robin nodded, biting her lip as Demetrius continued to lick her sensitive nub.

Before long, they had agreed on a set of plans, and Robin drew up statements of work (in a shaky hand) for everything, including materials needs and total costs of labor. As she did so, Demetrius intensified his approach, rapidly licking everything his tongue could reach while carefully sliding a finger into Robin’s pussy. She was being such a good sport, she deserved a reward.

Kay collected the documents and rose, offering Robin a hand. The resulting handshake was hurried, and Robin _really_ squeezed down on it, but it was otherwise genial. “Thank you so much, we’ll definitely get rolling on these once I can bankroll it.”

“No problem!” Robin said. “Thanks for stop-ping by!” _Please go before I explode_ , she thought.

Kay turned to leave, but stopped just at the door. “Oh! Nice to see you, Demetrius!”

Robin’s eyes widened in shock, her face turning beet red.

“Nice to see you too!” Demetrius called out, sliding a second finger into Robin and crooking his fingertips to reach her spot as he gently sucked on her clit.

Robin grabbed the edge of the desk with both hands, her climax ramming into her like a freight train. She screamed wildly, bucking her hips in her chair as she made a complete mess of Demetrius’s face. He continued to lick and suck at Robin’s nub as she rode his face, eventually reaching down to grab the back of his head and hold it in place. It was surreal to orgasm in front of Kay, but Robin soon realized it was insanely hot, as well; she locked eyes with the farmer and a second wave hit, taking her even higher than before.

Kay stayed until Robin’s ardor was well and truly spent, recognizing her presence added fuel to Robin’s fire. She smiled as Robin leaned back in the chair, her hair now wildly out of place. Their eyes met again, and Robin mouthed a silent “thank you”. Kay smiled, but they were both shocked by a call of “Mom?” from the hallway. Kay heard Maru’s footsteps before she saw her, swift action was called for.

“Hey, Mom, have you s-” Maru rounded the corner and bumped into Kay, who was leaning in the door frame. “Oh! H-hi! Sorry!” Maru readjusted her glasses and blushed.

“No worries. How are you?” Kay asked, making sure she blocked Maru’s view of her mom.

“I’m good, I was worried I’d have too much last night, I haven’t hung out in a while.” Maru smiled, she was pretty happy to see Kay. “Have you seen my mom?”

Kay glanced over her shoulder, Robin was clearly freaking out a little. “She’s right here, but I think you should give her a few minutes.” She gently took Maru by the arm and led her back down the hallway a bit.

Maru tilted her head. “What’s up?”

Kay lowered her voice. “Actually, you should give her _and your dad_ a few minutes.” She raised her eyebrows as Maru caught on.

“What!” She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “You didn’t walk in on them, did you?”

“I mean, he didn’t have her over the desk or anything...”

Maru started laughing as quietly as she could. “Oh my gosh! I better...”

“Yeah,” Kay agreed, “I think you better...”

“Oh!” Maru whispered, “Can Haley and I come over tomorrow night? We wanted to talk to you about everything that happened.”

Kay nodded. “Sure.”

Maru smiled. “Okay, see you then. And thank you.”

“For what?”

“For keeping everything, you know...”

“Off the record?”

Maru nodded, tapping her nose. “On the QT...”

“And very hush-hush.” they finished the quotation in whispered unison. Maru giggled and headed back down the hallway. Kay turned around to leave.

“Okay, I think you’re-” Her breath caught as she saw Demetrius now sitting in the chair, smiling amiably at her. His pants were neatly folded and prominently displayed on the side of the desk.

“Thanks for covering for us,” he said, his hands resting on the desk much like Robin’s were previously. There was a soft *gluck*ing sound coming from underneath the desk. Kay just shook her head.

“You two are incredible.” Kay said, laughing as she made her exit.

“Thanks! Come again!” Demetrius replied, glancing under the desk in response to a loud moan.

*****

The mine entrance wasn’t very far from the Wright household. From the outside, it didn’t look like much, just a cave in the cliff face. The remnants of Joja’s “environmental operations” had been mostly cleared away, a few tread marks and bits of metal the only remaining signs of the project. Kay took in a full breath of the fresh mountain air before stepping inside, her pickaxe held in her right hand. She would have preferred an actual weapon, these kinds of caves could house all manner of hostile creature, but the pick would have to do in a pinch. She didn’t dare summon the Galaxy Spear; that would be like signaling for help, and she had no doubts her sisters would respond.

The narrow passage into the mountain soon widened into a fair-sized cave. Kay saw a minecart sitting on tracks that led deeper in, and there appeared to be a lift against the back wall. Of more immediate interest was the man peering down along a ladder, likely into the mine proper. He was an older gent, dressed in a green jacket, brown pants, and a red half-cape. Hooked on his belt was a basic leather scabbard containing a broad sword. In addition to greying hair and a tightly-groomed beard, an eye patch covered his left eye. She marveled at the man, the very picture of the grizzled adventurer; something about him seemed familiar.

“Problems?” she asked, announcing herself.

“Maybe.” He stood up to regard Kay, nodding slightly after a moment.

“Kay Gardner,” she introduced herself, extending a hand.

“Marlon White,” the man returned, accepting the gesture, “pleased to finally meet. Been hearing quite a bit about you.”

Kay had the overwhelming sense that she’d met this man before, but couldn’t place him. “Just trying to make a good first impression.”

“I’ll bet.” He returned his attention to the ladder. “I take it you’re looking for ore?”

“Yeah,” Kay replied, “Clint said this is the spot for it.”

“It is,” Marlon agreed, “it’s been abandoned for quite a while, but there’s still plenty of ore, especially the further down you go.” He looked up. “You strike me as a woman that knows how to defend herself.”

Kay nodded, hefting the pickaxe. “I’ve been in a few scrapes.”

Marlon scratched his chin, then stood and unhooked the scabbard from his belt. “Here, should be a sight better than that mining pick for defense.” He offered it to Kay in two hands, and Kay accepted it the same way. Stepping back, she withdrew the blade and saw that it was in pretty bad shape; the edge didn’t seem sharp and had several chips, and the entire blade was pocked with patches of rust. Still, it was pretty balanced for its advanced age and poor condition, it would at least make for a good club.

“Not _that_ much better, but thank you.” She returned the blade to the sheath and clipped it to her own belt.

“I think you’ll do alright.” Marlon said with a grin. “Once you’ve explored a bit, maybe help thin the slime population down there, swing by the Guild and we’ll talk more.” He headed for the entrance, his gait smooth and sure.

“Sure thing,” Kay replied, “nice to meet you.”

“You too, General.” Marlon gave a quick salute as he left. Kay’s jaw gaped.

“Oh, come _on!_ ” she said, exasperated. She shook her head as she turned and descended the ladder into the mine. “Some low profile, _General_. Ugh.”

*****

If nothing else, the mine was an excellent workout.

Kay spent several hours exploring the abandoned cave system. The pickaxe got a real workout clearing boulders and numerous piles of rubble, and Kay figured it would be an excellent source of stone once the fields were finally cleared out. She was pretty surprised at the light levels, boosted by a number of still burning torches and lanterns scattered throughout the caves, but didn’t dwell on it too much.

Marlon was right about the slime population needing culling, the caverns seemed flooded with the green creatures. Kay found herself switching to the sword frequently enough to keep it to hand more often than not. It definitely functioned better as a club.

About halfway through her excursion, she found an elevator door. Kay tried to picture her descent through the mountain to determine when it swung around to link up with the elevator shaft, but found it rather difficult to do so. Curious, she pressed the ‘UP’ button, and the door opened with a loud _DING_ , revealing a spacious elevator. She looked inside and saw a number of buttons labeled 0 through 120 in increments of five. _This mine goes pretty deep_ , Kay realized. She pushed a few of the other buttons for lower floors but got no response.

“Great,” she said to herself, “probably have to fix this too while I’m down here.” She shook her head and continued downward.

The fauna population started to diversify as Kay found herself attacked by slimes, aggressive moles, and occasional giant flies that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, their arrival presaged by a loud buzzing. Kay also started to find sizable copper deposits amongst the larger boulders, along with a fair amount of coal and raw quartz. Her pack swelled with her subterranean plunder, and she started to see the benefit of upgrading to that fancy new bag Pierre had prominently displayed on the shop counter. She even liked the color, a bright red.

Eventually, Kay reached a small, open cavern. Another elevator door was in the wall, and the way down was over in the corner. What grabbed Kay’s attention was a large, red chest in the center of the cave. Cautiously, Kay went over and levered the lid open with her sword. The lid swung back into the chest with a bang but no other drama, and Kay found a pair of leather boots inside. They were of similar make to Abby’s, but not as tall and of a darker color. Reaching in and sizing them up, Kay thought they might fit. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, she kicked off her current work boots and tried the new ones on for size. A perfect fit, the boots were very comfortable for appearing brand new; Kay realized they were already broken in after a few steps, which raised a few questions. Deciding she’d had enough spelunking time, Kay went to the elevator and headed for the surface.

*****

The Adventurer’s Guild was an unassuming log cabin tucked in a corner of the mountain plateau on the northeast corner of the lake. Kay opened the door and walked in to see Marlon leaning behind a counter at the back. He was in conversation with a similar old coot in a rocking chair, and Marlon waved Kay over.

“Ye’ think they’re gonna break out of the mines?” the coot asked, his eyes closed but clearly aware of his surroundings.

“I don’t know, Gil,” Marlon replied, “I got someone looking into it for me.” He looked pointedly at Kay, and she got the feeling he was winking at her with his missing eye.

“Ye’d better,” Gil continued, “ain’t nothin’ more unsettlin’ than a bunch’a slimes barrelin’ down on ye like a green tide.”

“Yep. Gil Howard, Kay Gardner.” Marlon made the introduction.

“Charmed,” Kay said with a grin.

“Pleasure,” Gil replied, his eyes remaining closed. “You’re a ways off from home, aint’cha?”

Kay’s eyes narrowed. “The farm isn’t too far-”

“That ain’t what I mean,” Gil cut her off, “and you know it, missy.”

Kay looked at Marlon, trying to keep the daggers out of her gaze. “I guess we’re doing this now?”

He nodded. “Probably for the best.” He pulled out a black and grey uniform and laid it out on the counter. The left breast of the coat was adorned with a selection of service medals below the Imperial insignia, and the shoulder bore captain’s bars above a pair of crossed sabers. Recognition fueled a burst of memory.

“18th Cavalry,” Kay said, getting a nod from Marlon.

“Mustered out about, oh, 40 years ago, hopped a boat to Ferngill, ended up here. Gil was my batman, career soldier, decided to come along.”

Kay turned and cast a thoughtful look at Gil. The fog of her memory had finally cleared completely. “ ‘Mustered out,’ huh. AWOL seems more accurate.”

“Beggin’ yer pardon, _your_ _Generalship_ ,” Gil replied with a snicker, “but I wager you ain’t ‘xactly on two weeks’ furlough, yerself.”

“True.” She returned to Marlon. “Helican Ridge, right? Full charge, broke through the 88th Infantry and 12th Artillery.”

“And terrified the whole time. If it hadn’t been you personally giving those orders, we would have deserted on the spot.” Marlon’s face dropped a little, the memory of that hellish battle dredged up for the first time in years.

“I know,” Kay replied in sympathy. “I’m glad you got out.”

“So, what about it, ma’am?” Marlon asked. “You here on Imperial business?”

Kay shook her head. “Due for a trial board with you and Gil, when they find out.”

“And about Goddess-blasted time, too,” Gil chimed in, “don’t think we didn’t see what was goin’ on behind that mask a’ your’n.”

“All the men knew, ma’am,” Marlon added, “we just kept it to ourselves. Jobs to do and all.”

Kay nodded, her gaze affixing on the middle distance as other memories... faces... flashed through her mind. “We all had jobs to do, captain.”

“Right you are, ma’am,” Marlon responded.

Kay shook her head, dispelling the melancholy as best she could. “Thanks for the club, by the way.” She placed the rusty sword on the counter. Marlon snickered as he replaced it with a wooden one.

“Figured you’d make out just fine. This ought to be a little better.”

Kay picked it up, it was surprisingly heavy for its size, and excellently balanced. It would do, Marlon was right about that.

“Thank you,” Kay said. Marlon waved her off.

“Don’t thank me yet. You’ve seen what’s going on down there, we need someone to make sure the local populations stay under control. I figure you gathering ore and minerals regularly will help keep the numbers down.”

Kay raised an eyebrow. “That bad?”

Marlon scratched his beard. “Normally, no, but that drilling Joja was hellbent on finishing disrupted the local ecology. Normally, things would settle out over time, but it never hurts to take a conservationist’s hand to help things along.”

“And don’t think we ain’t appreciative, neither,” Gil chimed in, “I got all kinds a’ knick-knacks and such for all your hard work.”

“Great.” Kay wasn’t super enthused about being the pair’s warden, but they certainly weren’t up to it. “I’ll see what I can do.”

*****

Kay said her goodbyes and exited the Guild office, the new wooden blade hanging from her belt. Again, Joja’s influence stirred up trouble for the town despite its insistence to the contrary. Had it not been for Melvyn’s warning about the consequences of direct action, Kay would already be forming a battle plan. Now, it seemed the path forward involved ensuring the prosperity of Pelican Town _without_ Joja’s help.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Kay headed back to town, the Community Center her goal. Kay had a thought, and if she was right about how best to help the town, the Junimo had graciously provided a shopping list.


	5. Friends, Lovers, and Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kay reveals her past; Abby and her mother cross the line.

Spring 7, Year 1

The cat and the raven stared each other down, each having claimed the farm as their personal domain and insulted that an interloper now threatened their sovereignty.

Kaylia Gardner, farmer, formerly Kaylia the Red, Bladesister of the Gotoro Empire, watched the standoff with amusement. The raven sat perched upon the hat of an otherwise effective scarecrow, strange white or silver streaks clearly visible in its wing plumage. Luna, Red Dragon Farm’s newly installed farm calico, rested on the cabin porch railing. It was easier to read the disdain in Luna’s face than it was the raven’s, but one could tell they had an instant dislike for each other. Not enough to do anything about it, apparently, other than glare at each other.

Kay occasionally glanced over at the other raven hopping amongst the potato crop. That one was a newcomer; it had a similar silver patch on its head and tail feathers, and took up a lively conversation with the first one earlier in the morning before building and settling in to a small makeshift nest by the woodpile. It seemed a more amiable sort of bird, and chirped happily at Kay whenever she passed by. She was surprised a raven could sound that cute at all.

She turned her gaze southward when she heard a cheerful call. Marnie Jones, the rancher who lived at the edge of Cindersap Forest, and Leah Richards, the young artist who lived across the way from Marnie, were walking her way. Marnie was expected, Leah was not, but Kay welcomed the company anyway. Before long, she noticed someone hiding behind Marnie, peeking her head around Marnie’s dress to steal quick glances of the farmer before darting back into cover.

Marnie stepped to the side to reveal a young girl, no more than 8, with very dark purple hair, almost raven black, secured with a big green bow. She seemed very nervous.

“This is that nice farmer lady we talked about,” Marnie said gently, “would you like to say hello?”

The young girl’s eyes went wide looking at Kay. “S-she’s so... tall...” Her voice was soft and trembling. She was clearly intimidated by the purple-skinned, silver-haired elf lady.

Kay smiled and took a knee. She figured coming down to earth might help a bit. After a moment, the girl slowly shuffled forward and curtsied.

“H-hello, ma’am,” she said, “my name is Jas, and I’m nine years old.”

“Hello, Jas,” Kay replied, “my name is Kay, and it’s very nice to meet you.” She gave Jas a warm smile, and the young girl’s face brightened.

Something brushed against Kay’s leg. “Meow.” Luna looked up at Kay before nodding her head towards Jas. Kay stared for a moment before dismissing the idea that she was being chastised by a cat for not making introductions. At least the stalemate was over.

“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am. Jas, this is Luna.” Luna promptly approached the young girl and presented herself for pets.

“Kitty!” Jas happily sat down and provided the requested pets, receiving contented purrs in response.

Kay rose to her feet and turned to Marnie and Leah. “What brings you by? Apart from meeting your niece.”

“Got that feed you wanted!” Marnie said, offering a small bag to Kay. She’d stopped by the day before, figuring a bribe for the raven (well, ravens, now) wouldn’t hurt.

“What do I owe you?” Kay asked, accepting the bag.

“On the house this time,” Marnie replied, “I’m awful curious what you’re gonna do with it.”

Kay opened the bag, took a handful of the cracked grain, and threw it onto a bare patch of ground. “Zeus! Apollo!” she barked, and the two ravens immediately flew over to peck at the offering. She wasn’t sure where the inspiration came from, but she figured they should have names if they were going to stick around.

“Is that... wise?” Marnie asked, clearly dubious. “Ravens aren’t exactly known to be loners, especially if there’s a food source nearby.”

“True,” Kay agreed, “but I figure these gents will keep in line given the chance to wet their beaks a little.” Almost on cue, Apollo (the new guy) flapped up to carefully perch on Kay’s shoulder and nuzzle her cheek. Zeus turned to give a short caw, then returned to the feed.

“Well!” Marnie was impressed. “Seems you have a way with animals, Ms. Doolittle! I hope you decide to start raising some other animals soon.” Kay appreciated the subtle sales pitch.

“Someday, when I’m a little more financially secure.” By that point, Jas had wandered back to Marnie’s side, Luna having gone to sun herself on the porch.

“We should probably head back. Jas said she’d help feed the chickens, isn’t that right?”

Jas smiled and nodded. “Next month, I get to help with the cows, too!”

“That’s a step up in responsibility,” Kay responded. “What happens next month?”

“I turn ten!”

“Oh, then that’s seems very appropriate. Thanks again for the feed, Marnie.”

“No problem, sugar. You come on back if you need more, though it’ll cost you next time.” Marnie gave Kay a playful wink as she and Jas headed back to the ranch. Kay smirked, wondering what kind of ‘payment plans’ Marnie would offer. She noticed Leah had a similar smirk.

“And what can I do for you, miss?” Kay noticed that Leah had an easel stand slung over her shoulder in addition to her usual messenger bag. Leah’s red hair was again tied in a braid, and she wore a light yellow shirt under her usual green vest.

“I was hoping I could hang out for a while, grab some sketches of the farm?”

Kay nodded. “Sure! I’m just chopping wood today, but you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.” She went over to where she’d left her axe, pulling her shirt up and off and hanging it over the porch railing, no sense in it getting soaked with sweat. She suddenly remembered what she had on underneath when she heard Leah whistle.

“Wow!” the artist said, “That’s some serious hardware!”

Leah was a little astonished to see Kay strip her top off in front of her, but was more astonished by the sports bra underneath. Granted, Kay definitely needed something to rein in those fantastic boobs, but Leah wasn’t expecting something so... technologically advanced. She’d never seen material like it, and it hugged her figure skin-tight. She could even see the faint outline of Kay’s nipples and areolae through the material. The garment definitely did the job, however, as Kay’s endowment wasn’t moving under its own gravity at all, scarcely a jiggle!

The truth of it would be difficult to explain. Kay’s F-cup breasts were currently wrapped in the nanoweave layer of her body armor. Normally, that layer served as a cushion against the rest of the armor, but Kay used it on its own when she needed the girls to stay in place. The nanoweave was exceptionally breathable, which helped her keep cool during the manual labor the farm required. Being puncture-proof and able to absorb and dissipate kinetic energy were of lesser use in peacetime activities, but nice to have.

“I’m sorry!” Kay said, her violet skin turning a deep rose color. “Let me grab a different shirt.”

“No, you’re totally okay,” Leah replied, only ogling Kay a little. “I thought you’d need concrete and rebar to keep those titties in line.” Leah snorted at her inability to be mature about it.

Kay laughed, the tension of the moment draining away. “Yeah,” she said, “it turns out being super bouncy hinders more than helps when you’re wielding an axe.”

*****

Kay picked up her axe and headed back to the northwestern corner of the farm, Leah following with her gear. The artist set up at the edge of the cleared area facing east towards the cabin and pond as Kay lined up on the next tree marked for felling.

They passed the next two hours at their respective tasks, engaged in friendly conversation. They found each other easy to talk to, and Kay soon had Leah expounding on her background. She grew up in one of Zuzu City’s countless suburbs and moved to the city proper to attend art school. Leah had the spark of artistic inspiration from a young age, and focused on oil painting and sculpture in school. She graduated and soon made a living as a portraitist. It wasn’t always the most fulfilling work, but it kept her fed and her customers loved her work.

That was also how she met her first real girlfriend, Kelly Ford, Kel for short. Kel was a songwriter, and an accomplished one to boot. Her songs were regularly picked up by major recording artists; she’d also be called in to work with artists to refine their own songs, much like a script doctor would assist on a movie. She was tall, thin, a little androgynous; her tongue knew exactly where to find Leah’s most sensitive spots. Leah recounted their first time together, a three-day weekend of pleasure as they explored each other and learned their wants and desires.

Kay detected a note of wistfulness as Leah described the track of their romance, a three-year affair that started powerfully and ended weakly, as such things did. Kel’s career required travel often, and Leah would find herself alone in their large shared apartment. She resented Kel’s offhand dismissal of their relationship problems, and Kel didn’t appreciate being called out for “things she couldn’t control”. Leah broke it off after one of the largest commissions she’d ever received paid enough for a move to Pelican Town. She left Kel a note before she left, and hadn’t heard from Kel since. That was over a year ago.

Kay had moved to comfort Leah at this point, and the artist gratefully accepted the offered hug. Leah sobbed quietly for a few moments, content to sit in the sadness for a bit. It had been a while since she’d felt the need to air her emotions out, and she felt safe to do so wrapped in Kay’s powerful arms. Kay smelled of sweat, wood, and tree sap, and that too was soothing in its own way. Resting her head on Kay’s boobs also helped, though in a different way altogether.

“How are you so soft?” Leah asked, nuzzling in to Kay’s generous cleavage. The material of the sports bra was smooth and gentle, not at all what she expected from so stout an undergarment. Kay’s body heat seemed to wrap around Leah like a blanket, warm and calming.

“Pretty sure I was born this way.” Kay said quietly. She continued to hold Leah, softly stroking the young woman’s hair. She was happy Leah felt safe enough to open up like this.

Leah suddenly realized what she was nuzzling and lifted her head. “Oh gosh! I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t worry, I should really get them licensed as therapy pillows.” Kay turned her shoulders to boop Leah’s nose with her boob.

That got a laugh from Leah as she uncoupled from Kay. The few times they had hung out over the past week, Leah got strong big sister vibes from the farmer. She wasn’t expecting to give Kay her life’s story, but she was glad she did. She sniffled and wiped her eyes clear before returning to the easel, turning it around and starting a new canvas. She noticed the light had changed, the sun blocked by a heavy cloud bank that rolled in suddenly.

“How about you?” Leah asked, “what’s your story, Miss Gardner?”

Kay picked up the axe and turned away from Leah, her brow furrowed in conflict. She had her cover story down, and the short version seemed to satisfy the other townsfolk well enough. There were also three people who knew her true identity, but they were all loners to a degree and unlikely to spread her origins around. Leah was charming and gregarious, and it would be foolish to open the bag for someone Kay had known for all of a week.

There was something about Leah, however, that gave Kay serious pause about lying to the girl. Not just because she trusted Kay with her own past; Leah was an only child and didn’t want to be, and Kay missed having that familial bond, a younger sister with which to exchange secrets and hopes and fears. Kay thought again of Zoria, wondered what Z would say about all of this.

“It’s not that interesting,” she eventually said, attacking the next tree, “I’m just trying to build a life for myself.”

“Come on,” Leah cajoled, “you must have some crazy stories. I won’t tell anyone, promise!”

Kay closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m not really what everyone thinks I am, Leah. I’m just a coward who was in the right place at the wrong time.” She lifted the axe and swung, biting deeply into the tree trunk and nearly shearing clear through. The tree fell quickly, and Kay drove the axe into the stump with a growl of rage. The shame of her betrayal flared, causing her to stop paying attention to the world around her for a moment. She fought her emotions, tried to push them back down where she could function again, but it wasn’t working.

Kay felt arms wrapping around her waist as Leah hugged her from behind. “Hey,” Leah said, “you can trust me. I can’t begin to imagine what happened to you over there, but I’ll listen if you want to talk about it.”

It was too much. She didn’t deserve Leah’s kindness, she didn’t deserve anyone’s kindness. She was a liar; worse, she was the reason a lot of the friends and family who went to fight a stupid war with a stupid Empire never came back. _I’m not a farmer,_ she thought, _**I’m a murderer.**_ There was a time she prided herself on being the Peerless Tactician, and the memories of that coupled with more recent ones brought her a deep shame that she couldn’t shift. _**I don’t belong here.**_

Kay collapsed to the ground, crying uncontrollably. This was the first time she’d let the pain in since leaving the Empire, and it was devastating. She missed her sisters badly, Zoria most of all; she hated lying to these people, people that welcomed her to their town without a second thought, people she was developing very strong feelings for in a very short amount of time.

Leah crawled around Kay to pull her into a tight hug, and Kay’s sobs intensified. “It’s okay,” she whispered, slowly rocking Kay, “it’s going to be alright.” Kay wailed into Leah’s chest, and Leah felt herself tear up in sympathy.

“Y-you shouldn’t,” Kay tried to say before Leah interrupted.

“Just let it out,” she said gently.

They sat on the ground for a while, Kay sobbing and holding Leah while Leah continued to tell her it was okay, that everything was alright and was going to be alright. Leah noticed that Luna had wandered over, looking as concerned for her mistress as a cat could. She released Kay a bit to make room, and Luna hopped into their laps and started nuzzling Kay’s face, mewing softly.

This almost sent Kay into a refreshed round of sobs. “And this CAT,” she said through her tears, incredulous that the cat could know she was in distress and would want to help. Leah giggled as she stroked both Luna’s fur and Kay’s hair.

“She obviously cares about you, too.”

Kay looked up into Leah’s brown eyes and saw the girl smile. It was incredible how close the two had become in their short time together. The sadness began to subside, and Kay wiped her eyes before bringing Leah’s hand to her lips.

“Thank you,” she said, planting a soft kiss before letting go. Leah nodded, leaning over to kiss Kay’s forehead.

“You’re welcome.”

_**Pathetic.** _

Kay looked at Leah in shock. Leah’s face showed care and concern, her voice was calm. She barely noticed Luna jump out of her lap and hiss at something to her right. _How could she-_

_**You don’t belong here.** _

That wasn’t Leah’s voice. It was cold and imperious, like a nightmare out of her past. Kay slowly reached for the axe. “Leah, I need you to take five big steps backward.” Leah’s eyes widened in fear.

“W-what...”

_**They know what you really are.** _

“Leah,” Kay tried to calm her voice down, “please, back up.” She could barely see it, in the edges of her vision, dark and formless. Luna had reared up, growling at the thing. She could feel her knuckles cracking as her grip tightened around the axe handle.

_**You’re just going to hurt them, like you hurt everyone.** _

Leah stood and backed away quickly. The change that came over Kay was frightening, and the edge in her voice sent chills up her spine. “Please, talk to me,” she pleaded.

_**See? You’re already driving Leah away, just like you’ll drive Abby away.** _

“Leah, I believe I’m having a minor psychotic break. I need you to stay right there, I promise I will explain everything.” Kay shifted her grip, there would be one chance at this. A thought occurred to her. “Luna.”

The cat dashed over to Leah at Kay’s word, facing away and resuming her aggressive stance in front of the young woman.

_**JUST LIKE YOU DROVE ZORIA-** _

“RRRAAAGH!” Kay wrenched the axe from the tree stump and threw it towards the form, then launched herself from the ground towards it, her armor flashing into place. The axe passed through it to embed itself in another tree, and Leah gasped as Kay transformed in the air. The gasp turned to a scream when Kay’s gauntleted fist connected with a formless shadow, now illuminated by the red light shining from Kay’s eyes.

Kay roared at the specter, her magical armor allowing her to make contact and punch the foul thing out of existence. The form immediately dissipated, an inhuman screech rending the air as it was sent back to whatever void had spawned it.

It was over in seconds. Kay chased her breath in big gulps, the swift action winded her unexpectedly. She rose to her feet and recalled the armor, leaving her topless save for her medallion. The morning sun finally broke through the clouds that had obscured it, and Kay felt its warmth suffuse her body.

She turned with a start. “Leah!”

Luna was perched atop Leah’s shoulder. The girl had fainted dead away, but was otherwise alright. Kay scooped her up in her arms and walked back to the cabin, Luna following along. She kicked open the door and carefully placed Leah down in her bed. She then collapsed in one of the dining chairs, and Luna hopped up to sit next to her on the table.

Kay looked down at the calico cat. She’d obviously sensed the malign spirit before Kay did, and her hiss of warning was timely and accurate.

“Thank you,” she said, softly stroking Luna’s fur, “I thought I was losing it.”

Luna rubbed up against Kay’s hand, purring warmly.

*****

Leah awoke in a strange bed in an unfamiliar room, with a splitting headache to boot. She rose with a start, looking around in confusion before her eyes landed on Kay and Dr. Becker. They were seated at the small dining table, three paper cups around a green thermos between them. They both smiled as Leah realized she was safe.

“What a terrible dream...” she mumbled as Dr. Becker rose. He was wearing his usual green tweed coat, white shirt, and yellow tie, but also had a stethoscope hanging from his neck. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair as he approached.

“Hey, Miss Richards,” he said in a soothing tone, “let’s have a look at you.” The doctor put on the stethoscope as Kay averted her gaze to elsewhere. “Can I have you open your shirt a little, I’d like to take a listen.”

Leah nodded, popping a few more buttons on her shirt than were already unbuttoned and pulling the shirt open a bit. Dr. Becker placed the stethoscope (which he’d been warming in his hands) over the left-center of Leah’s chest. “Alright, take a deep breath.”

Leah did so, the breathing exercise helping to calm her down as the doctor moved the instrument around her chest, prompting her for big breaths as he did so. He eventually moved to Leah’s back, again asking her for deep breaths.

“Thank you, you can button back up.” He looped the stethoscope back around his neck and withdrew a penlight from his coat pocket. “Alright, look right at me, please.” He shone the penlight into Leah’s eyes from different angles, examining them intently. “How do you feel? Any nausea?”

“No,” Leah replied, “just a little groggy and warm, and my head is pounding.”

The doctor nodded as he continued a brief examination. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Well, Kay and I were talking out in the fields, I was sketching her working, she was destroying some trees, and then...” She suddenly remembered Kay’s emotional breakdown and comforting her. “...then we got into some personal stuff and hugged it out.” After that was pretty hazy, right up to when she awoke in Kay’s bed. “That’s all, I guess. I did have a weird dream, though.”

“Oh? What about?” the doctor asked. Kay pretended not to be listening closely.

“It was weird. Kay’s cat started acting like she was being threatened or scared. Then Kay got this real intense look on her face, and I remember a ghost? Something about not belonging here, driving me away. And then Kay turned into a robot and punched the ghost, and I woke up.”

“Hmm.” Dr. Becker twitched his thin mustache. He placed his hand over Leah’s forehead for a moment, her skin was a little clammy.

“Well,” he said, “I think you’ve had a touch of sunstroke. Nothing serious, the morning sun probably crept up on you without you noticing. The headache is likely a sign of dehydration, but we’ve got just the thing for that.”

Kay poured something from the thermos into a paper cup and walked it over. “Here.” Leah accepted the cup and took a small sip.

“Iced green tea?” she asked. Kay nodded.

“I ran into Mrs. Chandler on my way to grab Harvey, she overheard me describing your symptoms and asked me to wait while she dashed off and came back with it. Says it’s just the thing to get you rehydrated.”

“And it would have been, if you hadn’t spilled some into that other cup.” Dr. Becker chided.

“Um, I see two half-filled cups on the table, _doctor._ ”

“Anyway!” Dr. Becker quickly switched the subject back to Leah. “Drink the rest of this over the course of the day, and water when it’s gone. Take it easy and stay out of direct sun, you’ll be back in fighting trim by morning.” He walked over and deposited his tools in a small, black, extremely cliche bag.

“You can chill out here until you feel better, I dropped your gear off at your cabin.” Kay took Leah’s hand in hers. “I know you have to suffer for your art, but still.”

Leah smiled. “Thank you, Kay.”

“I’m off.” Dr. Becker nodded. “Stop by the clinic if you still feel poorly tomorrow, okay, Leah?”

“I will, thank you Harvey.”

He smiled, tipped an imaginary hat, and took his leave. Kay sat on the bed and put her arm around Leah. “You gave us quite a scare.”

Leah nodded. “Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t have stayed in the sun for so long. The light was just so good, and...” Leah remembered something. “You didn’t look at my sketches, did you?”

Kay blushed a little. “I had to put the one you were working on away to carry everything.”

“Oh, well, I guess that’s okay.” Leah smirked, guessing what Kay would say next.

“...my boobs aren’t _that_ big.”

Right on the money. “Kay, your boobs are huge and they’re amazing, and I won’t have you casting aspersions on my close friends.”

Kay snickered. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had a deep, abiding relationship with my tits. Here, I’m sure you have a lot to talk about!” Kay pulled Leah’s face directly into her cleavage and held it there, getting hysterical giggles from Leah.

“Stop, stop, please!” Leah pleaded in mock anguish. “Your massive jugs are trying to smother me!”

They wrestled on the bed for a few moments, shrieking with laughter as Kay continued to hold Leah against her chest. Eventually, Leah tapped out, and Kay released her. They laid back on the bed regaining their breath for a moment.

“You know,” Kay said, “if you want a real introduction, I could make arrangements.”

Leah laughed. “As much as I think I would love to worship your chest, I think we both have other things to do today.”

“Well, invitation’s open.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

*****

“A _phantasm?!_ ”

Melvyn couldn’t believe Kay’s account of the morning. A phantasm would definitely explain the spontaneous burst of crushing self-loathing, especially if Kay had those feelings swirling in her head already, but so blatant an attack in the middle of the day was just...

“...inconceivable! It shouldn’t have been able to last five seconds in the broad light of day!”

Kay leaned back in her chair, her feet propped up on the nearby table. “That’s what I would have thought, but I’m not as experienced a monster hunter as Vendria, and I’m no mage, so I wasn’t sure.”

“So you punched it.” That, Melvyn could absolutely believe.

“In its stupid face. I think. At least, the facial area, certainly.” She snapped her fingers as her memory triggered. “Wait, the sun wasn’t out, it was behind a big batch of clouds, like it was about to rain? But I don’t remember that being in the forecast.”

“That can’t be a coincidence.” Melvyn pursed his lips, then continued the discussion. Kay filled Melvyn in on the rest of the day’s events, and Melvyn likewise briefed Kay on the status of the webway and the immediate results her recent labors had effected. This attack was clearly a response, the ‘random’ cloud cover facilitating the attack, but whomever or whatever sent it wasn’t aware of Kay’s abilities.

Melvyn had a thought. “What did it say to piss you off?”

“It implied I drove Zoria away. That shit would not stand- wait, how did you know it pissed me off?”

Melvyn grinned, making an ‘ah, well, actually’ gesture before turning to the large tome on the nearby lectern. “Phantasms are telepathic in nature, that’s how they can cut so deep. It scanned your surface thoughts and amplified your own emotions against you.”

“But, if that’s the case, it means some part of me actually believes I drove Zoria away from me, and I know that’s not true.”

Melvyn looked up. “You’re absolutely sure?”

“Unless someone rewrote my memories before she got her last assignment, yes. We’d spent the entire week together, at least one of us balls-deep in the other for at least half that time. I should think I’d remember doing something monumentally stupid enough to ruin our relationship.”

Melvyn nodded genially as he turned back to his copy of Tobin’s Spirit Guide (Revised Fifth Edition), flipping a few pages. Once again, he seemed completely unfazed by graphic accounts of sexual activity, and Kay had gone from bemused to curious to a little unsettled by it.

“Mel, can I ask you a personal question?”

“I’m thoroughly ace, that’s why. I have an academic interest and that’s it.”

Kay rolled her eyes. “Goddess damn it, stop being insufferably insightful!”

Melvyn smirked. “Can’t. Wizard. It’s always on.”

An asexual wizard. Kay would never have believed it. “Like, always?”

“Yeah, it’s why I stay away from town most of the time, everyone’s thoughts at once are like a loud cocktail party.”

“No, I mean the ace part.”

Melvyn looked up again. “Is that weird?”

“Compared to other wizards I’ve known? Fuck yes.” Kay visibly shuddered. “Arrogant, perverted deviants to a man.”

Melvyn cocked his head. “Not to cite Stone V. Glass Houses, but as someone who clearly wants to marry her own little sister and live a life full of romantic and sexual debauchery with their harem of cute girls, what qualifies as ‘deviant’ to you?”

Kay mused on that for a moment, shocked at the accurate description of her life’s greatest dream. “No, that’s fair. It wasn’t necessarily that they had disgusting fetishes... most of the time, anyway... it was that they expected whomever was around to cater to their sexual needs at any time, and they cracked down hard on people that resisted. Couldn’t look weak to the Emperor or the nobility or they would lose status. If they hadn’t fucked up with Astria, she wouldn’t have stripped the sex slave programming out of us and who knows what would have happened.”

Melvyn filled a pair of goblets from his cauldron and walked over to the table. He offered one to Kay as he sat down. “Fuckin’ Empire, right?”

Kay nodded and clinked glasses. “Fuckin’ Empire.” They drank. “Is this mulled cider?”

Melvyn nodded. “I only brew forest essence once a year, that stuff stinks up the place something pretty but it goes bad fast.”

They sat for a moment, drinking the excellent cider and enjoying the quiet company.

“...my dad thought it was unnatural.”

Kay looked at Melvyn, who was clearly deep in his cups despite it being non-alcoholic cider.

“Being ace? Sounds like a real winner.” Kay scoffed, drawing a sigh from Melvyn. “Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly.

“He wasn’t the most... affectionate man, it must be said. I always thought I reminded him too much of Mom, and that’s why he didn’t like me. But maybe it was because I didn’t measure up to his ideal of masculinity.”

Kay picked up her chair to sit next to Melvyn. “No offense, but your dad was a dick.”

Melvyn chuckled at that. “‘Son, you know there’s no shame in being a homosexual. I can completely understand the allure of cock.’” Kay nearly choked on her cider.

“He did NOT.”

Melvyn nodded. “He just wanted to know that I was getting my rocks off, he didn’t care with whom. He refused to believe I wasn’t interested in ‘getting my dick wet’. I think it personally offended him that his only son wasn’t a slut like he was.”

Kay frowned. “You know that word isn’t necessarily an insult.”

“Oh yeah, I never judged him for it. That’s what he needed. I don’t.”

They sat in silence for a while, refills occasionally floating over from the cauldron as needed. Kay was disgusted that someone like Melvyn could have a father like... now there was a horrifying thought.

“Where was your dad from?” she asked.

“I asked him once, he said he’d lived in the Valley for most of his life. He never told me where he lived before that, and I never found out.”

“You said he ‘retired’?”

“I did, but you know what that actually means.” _He played with forces he couldn’t control and was severely punished for it._

“What did he do?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. Obviously, it failed, and he either atomized or got sent to another plane of existence, but he left a damned mess to clean up afterward.”

“That was five years ago?”

“Just about, yeah. I had to take over right away, and I’ve only really got the hang of things within the last year.”

Kay nodded, taking a long drink. Rasmodius wasn’t one of the Imperial wizard lines, or even an Imperial name for that matter. The arrogance, the cavalier and superior attitude towards his so-called lessers, the rampant libido; it all screamed ‘Wizard Of The Empire’. He certainly could have trained in the Empire and then left for Ferngill to carve out his own little fiefdom, it had happened before.

Five years ago, AssDad did something to alter the webway. Had the town already been in decline by then? Kay didn’t know if it was related, but she had noticed how... liberated the townspeople were. Maru and Haley, Robin and Demetrius, Abby and Caroline, heck, Abby and herself; strangers to handjob make-outs in three days felt a little quick, no matter how confident Kay was in her game.

Melvyn could see the gears turning in Kay’s mind. He wanted to learn all about her and the Bladesisters badly, but knew he didn’t rate that level of personal trust yet. It was clear that Kay didn’t trust wizards in general, and hated wizards like his father with a passion, so he preferred to take things as they came.

“What’s the going rate for your thoughts?” he asked.

Kay looked at him and smirked. “You couldn’t afford them.”

“Eh, worth asking.”

Kay rose from the table, downing the last of her cider. She needed to get back and check on Leah, and also run some forage over to the shop, AND clean up before Haley and Maru stopped by. She bade Melvyn goodbye, thanking him for the drink, and left the tower.

*****

“Kaylia, please, suck my cock!”

Abby pictured the violet goddess inhaling her girlcock as she jerked off. She had been crazy horny all morning and went straight to her room as soon as she clocked out, stripping down immediately and jumping on to her bed. She started by flicking the nipples of her D-cup breasts with her tongue, imagining Kay doing the same, before reaching down below her engorging member to finger herself. Her pussy rapidly moistened, and she used it to lube her rod before slowly starting to stroke it. She remembered Kay’s hand doing the same and moaned deeply. Before long, she started talking to herself, urging the imaginary farmer on.

“Lick me, Kay, suck me, oh Goddess, you feel so _good...”_

She quickened her pace as her imaginary lover bobbed her head on Abby’s cock. Abby had been joking before about the whole ‘three days before blowjobs’ thing on Friday night, but she knew she was ready to cross that line and maybe more besides.

“Hey, Abby, I’ve got your laundry-oh!”

Abby gasped as Caroline entered with a basket of clean clothes. Her mother stopped in her tracks when she saw her daughter, naked and jerking off in her bed. Cari felt and instant surge of warmth deep in her pussy; she’d gotten better about knowing when Abby needed release and could usually avoid walking in on her daughter, but it was still an intensely erotic sight.

“I’m sorry, honey, I’ll leave these-”

“No!” Abby shouted, her cock growing even harder at the sight of her mom watching. “Please stay!”

“Abby, I shouldn’t...” Cari knew it would be proper to leave, but the pulse in her core bade her stay.

“I want you to,” Abby replied, jerking off in front of her mom was always _so hot_ , but she never had the courage to ask her to stay before.

Caroline put the laundry basket on the floor and slowly sat down on the bed next to Abby. Abby shifted to give her mom a little more room as she started stroking herself again, slowly, her violet eyes locked with her mother’s deep green ones.

“Were you thinking about Kay?” Caroline asked. Abby nodded. “Tell me about it.”

“S-she’s sucking on me...” Abby closed her eyes to picture Kay again, her luscious lips wrapped around her cock, her burning crimson eyes looking up at Abby. “She’s so good at it!”

“Can she take all of you?” Caroline’s gaze was locked on her daughter’s cock, glistening with precum as she stroked. Cari unconsciously licked her lips as she stared at the head. The scent of Abby’s arousal was distracting, and she could feel moisture gathering in her own pussy.

Abby imagined that yes, Kay could take all of it, and moaned as Kay slowly swallowed all 8 1/2 inches to the root. “Her throat is so warm, she’s moaning around it and it feels amazing!”

Caroline was so conflicted. She enjoyed flirting with Abby and sharing the intimate details of their sex lives (with Abby making suitably disgusted noises when they talked about her dad). And sure, Cari occasionally enjoyed imagining her daughter sharing her body with her mother, but she’d never entertained actually taking that delicious girlcock into her mouth and draining her beautiful baby girl dry.

“Kay, you look so good with my daughter’s cock in your mouth,” Caroline said, slowly taking off her blouse. She unsnapped the clasps on her bra, releasing the F cups to the air. She was glad she’d opted to forgo panties today.

Abby opened her eyes in shock as her mother encouraged her imaginary lover, and they widened further as she saw Caroline start to disrobe.

“Mom, what-”

“Shh,’ Caroline cut her off, “keep going.” She reached under her skirt and slowly slid two fingers into her already flooded pussy. “What is she doing now?”

Abby couldn’t take her eyes off her mom’s giant boobs. They seemed bigger than Kay’s, maybe because her mom was shorter by at least 4 inches, and they were just as mesmerizing. She felt her cock pulse as another surge of precum leaked from her head, and she spread it around as she started stroking again.

“She’s jerking me off and licking my pussy,” Abby said, not daring to say what she’d actually pictured: Kay taking Abby’s cock and guiding it into Caroline’s waiting mouth. She’d never considered it possible, and it scared her a little how badly she wanted her mom’s mouth on her at that moment.

“Mmm,” Caroline moaned, withdrawing her fingers to suck her own nectar from them. “You were right, Kay’s cock tastes so good, baby girl.” That was a conversation she’d have with Pierre later; their relationship wasn’t exactly open, but Pierre and the farmer got on famously, it likely wouldn’t be difficult to talk him into inviting the farmer over for a good, old-fashioned spit roast. With her daughter’s permission, of course.

Abby couldn’t believe her mom... actually, no, she absolutely could believe her mom said that, and it drove her wild with lust. “Goddess, mom, suck her cock, it’s so hot!”

Their voices joined in deep moans as they masturbated together, watching each other and descending into lust. They looked into each other’s eyes as they played, urging each other on with dirty talk.

“Is she getting you close, baby girl?” Caroline asked, feeling her own climax rapidly approaching.

“Yeah, mommy, her mouth is so talented,” Abby replied. Deep down, she knew what she wanted right now.

“Are you going to cum in her mouth?” Watching that would likely give her an orgasm without touching anything, Caroline realized.

She was surprised when Abby shook her head. “No, Kay keeps edging me, she doesn’t want me to cum yet.”

“Why not?”

“She’s building it up for you, mommy!” Abby reached over and placed her hand around her mother’s neck.

Caroline’s eyes widened, Abby’s implication hitting full force. “She... you mean-”

“Please, mommy! Suck my cock!”

They both screamed as Caroline devoured her daughter’s cock. All of the fantasies, the flirting, the dirty talk; none of it compared to the actual act, and both mother and daughter exploded in ecstasy. Caroline bobbed her head on Abby’s cock, her pussy spasming as she sucked that hard member. Abby watched her mother swallow her cock, felt her soft breasts press against her hip and thigh, and felt an orgasm as big as the one Kay stroked out of her begin to form. They felt their connection deepen immeasurably through the taboo act, and tears came to both pairs of eyes with the raw sensation of love and lust.

Caroline felt the sudden surge in Abby’s cock and grabbed the base. “Please, baby girl, hold off, I want to worship this cock properly.” She stared at Abby as she ran her tongue down the length to the base, dipping it into Abby’s cleft directly below before making the return trip back up to the head. Then she slowly took Abby all the way down, never once breaking eye contact as she accepted her daughter’s cock deep in her throat.

Abby was going wild, her cock on the verge of exploding. She didn’t know how Caroline managed to stop her orgasm, but it was getting difficult to withhold. Her mom’s mouth was so wet, her lips and tongue so soft, Abby desperately needed to cum.

“Oh, mommy!” she cried, “Don’t stop, I’m almost there!”

Cari stroked Abby as she grinned. “You ready to fill mommy’s mouth?”

“Yes, mommy!”

“Then cum for mommy, baby girl! Let mommy taste it!” She rapidly stroked Abby’s cock as she returned the head to her warm lips. To make sure Abby exploded, Caroline also slipped two fingers into Abby’s pussy.

Abby screamed again as her orgasm hit, and a wave of cum flooded into Caroline’s mouth. She frantically sucked and licked the head as Abby’s hips bucked with each spurt, the sweet and musky aroma driving her wild for it. She slowed her jerking down as she milked Abby for every delicious drop. Abby grabbed her mom’s head, her fingers running through green hair. Caroline smiled around Abby’s cock as she took it down once again, the last of Abby’s cum shooting directly down her throat.

As he climax receded, Abby pulled her mother into an embrace, kissing her on the lips and tasting herself on them. Caroline returned the kiss, and Abby was rewarded with a measure of her cum as their tongues danced. Then Caroline brought her other hand up, and Abby gratefully licked her nectar from them before returning to their lip lock.

When their kiss ended, they found themselves staring into each other’s eyes with affection until the weight of their shared act finally struck them.

“Oh, wow...” Abby said,

“That was...” Caroline said.

Someone snorted, neither was sure who, but it was enough to send them into peals of riotous laughter. They held on to each other as their bodies convulsed for almost a solid minute. Caroline eventually collapsed on top of her daughter, the pair breathless.

“Holy _shit_ ,” Caroline said eventually, “you usually cum that much? And when did you start swallowing your own cum?”

Abby snickered. “Kay.”

“Of course.” Caroline started laughing again, shaking her head. “That woman is something else.”

“I kinda wish she was here to see that.”

“You and me both!”

They sighed in unison before Caroline rose and put her bra and blouse back on. She felt warm and tingly, and full of love for her daughter. “Hey, bring the basket down when you put your clothes away.”

“Sure thing, mom! Love you!”

“I love you too, baby girl.” As Caroline left, Abby laid back in her bed and felt her thoughts wander off, full of love and devotion for her crazy hot mom.

“Mom gave me a blowjob.” she said idly, smiling to herself. She heard herself say the words, and the smile left her face as they resonated in her head. “Mom gave me a blowjob.” It was intense, and she loved it, her mom looked so pretty going down on her, but... still, that was her _mom_. “Mom gave me a blowjob?” She knew it was a stupid question, of course she did, it just happened, but they’d talked about their fantasies often enough, and they’d assured each other that it was just fantasy. They had no interest in actually exploring those things together, did they? Hell, Abby said as much to Kay. She’d never...

The full weight of the event slammed into Abby like a freight train. “Holy shit, Mom gave me a blowjob!”

*****

At 3 o’clock, Pierre was sweeping the shop. It had been a very productive day; Gus had stopped by for some fresh herbs (his own garden recently depleted) and to give Pierre a revised recipe for carp surprise he’d been wanting to try; the good doctor came to pick up the clinic’s weekly order of supplies and to follow up with Caroline on Leah’s condition (“Just sunstroke, she’ll be right as rain with some rest and water”); Leah herself appearing to buy some green tea, the same kind that Caroline swore by; and most recently, Kay dropped in to brief him on her next harvest due Wednesday. “Should be a little of everything,” she’d said, though some of the crop was already spoken for apparently; Pierre agreed to pass the word around.

He thought about the farmer idly as he swept up. What a boon to the town she’d been, arriving just as things had seemed their gloomiest to inject a much-needed boost to the community. He certainly hadn’t been expecting to meet anyone else fluent in French, and based on her reaction that first day, neither had she. It made him think of his great-uncle’s store in Grampleton, where he’d been working when he first met Caroline all those years ago. “I should write to Robert and Jean-Claude, see how things are going,” he said to himself, his cousins now running that famed outpost of commerce.

A clamor behind him presaged his daughter’s frantic passing. She was bolting for the door like her life depended on it.

“Hey!” Pierre called, stopping her in her tracks. “What’s the rush?”

“I gotta talk to Kay about something!” She looked shaken.

“Well, just be careful, huh? Dinner’s at 7.”

“Okay, thanks Dad, love you!” she replied on her way out the door.

Pierre shook his head with a smirk. “That Miss Gardner is trouble, no doubt.”

*****

Maru and Haley met on the mountain road to the farm, greeting each other with a deep kiss. They hadn’t found time to meet the day before, and they took the opportunity to reconnect. They stood together, staring into each other’s eyes, before Haley reached around Maru’s overalls to honk her massive H-cup breasts over her purple shirt. Maru laughed before returning the favor to Haley’s more ‘modest’ double-ds.

Hand in hand, they took their time walking the path to Red Dragon Farm. It was nice to just be together, and they treasured whatever time they could steal away for themselves. Haley really wished Maru would just tell her dad already, reaction be damned. She hated the sneaking around and the limits it placed on their relationship. She just wanted to love her girlfriend and be cute in public together and total sluts for each other in private.

Maru had decided today was the day, she was telling her parents about Haley. She was fed up being afraid of what her dad might think, how a relationship might interfere with whatever future he’d envisioned. Frankly, if he did think that, then clearly he didn’t think she could be a world-class roboticist _and_ also be crazy for the love of her life, and that was just insulting. After all, he knew all about life-work balance, surely she could be trusted to do the same. She just wanted to talk to Kay about it for reassurance.

They both wondered where Kay fit in to all of this. When they had started dating, they were head over heels for each other, the sex was mind-blowing, and couldn’t possibly think about anyone else. Now, almost a year later, they were even more deeply head over heels for each other, the sex was still mind-blowing, but the potential of having a third playmate was intriguing and arousing. Especially someone built like Kay.

As they rounded the corned and approached the farm, they noticed how much it had changed in just a week under Kay’s stewardship. Almost the entire northern half of the farm had been cleared of debris, the rocks and chopped wood forming a massive stockpile around the ruined greenhouse. That too had changed, with the cushions and quilt neatly stacked off to one side, out of sight. There was even a cat now, a calico that was currently having some kind of discussion with a pair of ravens. The animals looked at the pair with an appraising eye as they approached, and Maru knelt to beckon to the cat.

“Hello, kitty!” she said, waving the cat over. It sauntered up to Maru and presented itself for affection, which Maru promptly supplied. “Yes, what a nice kitty! Hello! Can I see your tag?” The cat raised her head as Maru inspected the metal tag attached to a gold collar. “Aww! Your name is Luna! Hello! My name is Maru, and this is Haley!”

“All of your brainpower, and it goes to mush around a cute cat,” Haley remarked. She liked cats as much as the next person, but Maru was obsessed. Actually, it had been a while since Maru had worn that cute cat-ear hairband, and it was pretty sweet (and kind of hot) when she pretended to be Haley’s ‘pretty little kitty’.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have a natural rapport with felines,” Maru scoffed, and Luna seemed to agree with a similar “Hmpf!”

“Okay, we need to talk to Kay now, but we’ll say hi again!” Maru stood up and turned to see Abigail leaning against the farm cabin, regaining her breath. “Uh oh.”

Abby looked up to see Maru and Haley just as Haley noticed her, confusion playing out over the semi-goth and blonde’s faces.

“What are _you_ doing here?” they asked each other in unison.

“This is awkward.” Maru said.

*****

It had been a very relaxing afternoon thus far. After conferring with Melvyn, Kay had run her errands in town and decided to do a spot of fishing down by the forest lake. She’d run into Willy down by the dock, having had a similar idea, and they two spent several pleasant hours fishing and chatting. Kay found she loved hearing all about the townsfolk, and Willy’s background was just as interesting as everyone else’s. A merchant marine for twenty years, Willy retired to Pelican Town and found that he needed to get back onto the water, so he bought the bait shop and a big fishing boat. The boat was something of a surprise to Kay, and Willy talked all about running fishing tours and a charter service out to the Fern Islands before time and rough seas did a number on the Old Girl. (“That’s the old girl’s name: the Old Girl.” “Of course it is, Willy.”) By the time they were done, Kay had brought in a goodly catch (which Willy kindly took off her hands) and learned a few new tips from the old salt. They said goodbye and went their separate ways, Kay heading north back to the farm.

At the southern edge, she picked up raised feminine voices on the north side of the farm along with a lot of agitated crowing. When she got to the edge of the treeline, she saw Haley and Abby gesturing angrily at each other while Maru stood between them trying to defuse the situation. The ravens were also hopping around in distress, but Kay couldn’t tell what had them freaking out at that distance. As she was about to head over, she noticed the farm had taken on a slightly reddish tinge. She looked up at the sky and noticed the sky was also a shade redder than normal for that time of day. “This can’t be good,” she said to herself as she dropped her gear and started running to the cabin.

“You’re just fucking jealous I got to her first!” Abby shouted at Haley. The blonde bimbo had the nerve to insinuate that Kay preferred her company to Abby’s, which was clearly insane.

“Oh, please!” Haley responded. “She’s just biding her time until she can get with us and you fucking know it. Like she’d ever be truly interested in some half-goth whore when she’s hit the jackpot.”

Maru couldn’t believe how quickly this situation escalated. She’d finished explaining that she had asked Kay yesterday if they could come over to talk when Haley interjected to ask if Abby wouldn’t mind waiting somewhere, anywhere else. Abby objected to Haley’s dismissive tone (which surprised Maru, Haley usually needed a better excuse to be that dismissive) and said that she needed to talk to Kay first about a personal problem, which clearly took precedence over whatever air-headed fashion questions Haley had. That led to Haley stating point-blank that she _and her girlfriend_ were closer to Kay because she’d watched them fuck, which led to Abby countering with the fact that she and Kay had jerked each other off AND Kay came in Abby’s mouth. Maru wasn’t surprised that Kay and Abby had some sexy funtimes together, she was really happy that her friend had someone to be sexy with, but Abby’s particular terminology caught her by surprise. Before Maru could interject, however, the shouting had started, and there they were.

“Guys, come on!” she pleaded, “We can talk this out if we just calm down!”

“Stay out of this Maru,” Haley snarled, “this is between us and her.”

“That doesn’t even-” Maru tried to respond.

“Listen to your bitch girlfriend, Maru,” Abby responded, “I wouldn’t want to rearrange your face like I’m going to hers.”

“Hey!” Maru took exception to that description, but realized that anything she’d say in defense would make the situation even worse.

“ **EXCUSE ME.** ”

The three girls were startled by Kay’s entrance. Maru was relieved that the farmer had gotten them to stop arguing. Her relief was short-lived.

“Kay, could you please tell this dumb bitch that we’re together?” Abby asked sweetly.

“Kay, I’m sorry it took us so long to get here,” Haley said, just as sweetly, “you don’t have to bother with this skank anymore, Maru and I will take very special care of you and that beautiful girlcock.”

Kay’s jaw dropped at the two girls. She had purposefully inflected her command voice to shut them up and cow them a little for time to find out what was going on, and it rolled off of them like water off a duck. She looked at Maru, who returned her gaze with a pleading shrug. Something was _very_ wrong here.

A flicker of light drew Kay’s attention to two small motes of red light, one each hovering at Haley and Abby’s ears. She pricked her ears up and realized the motes were _whispering_ , urging the girls to fight.

“ _ **She thinks she can steal your woman away with promises of hot threesomes, teach her a lesson!**_ ” the one at Abby’s ear said.

“ _ **Don’t let this skanky bitch take YOUR sexy dickgirl queen away from you!**_ ” the one at Haley’s ear said.

“Okay, that’s enough of that.” Kay was fed up, especially at the random slur. Her armor appeared as before, grabbing everyone’s attention, including that of the small spirits. She used the distraction to snatch the two motes out of the air, one in each hand. They resisted a little, almost as though they were tethered to their victims, but Kay easily wrenched them away. Haley and Abby dropped to the ground like rocks.

She could feel the malicious spirit bugs struggling to escape her grasp, emitting pulses of extreme heat and screeching at the top of their tiny lungs. Her armor compensated for the littlest assaults, and she held up Haley’s instigator in her left hand.

“You don’t get to use that word, asshole.” She squeezed the spirit until it vanished with a *pop*. She then held up Abby’s spirit in her right hand.

“And you need to learn that people aren’t things to be owned!” Squeeze. *Pop.*

“KAY!”

Kay turned to see Melvyn running up to her hell for leather. He stopped beside her and immediately bent over gasping for breath.

“Uh, Melvyn?” she asked, mildly concerned.

“Sorry,” he replied between gasps, “couldn’t... teleport here... weird binding field... around farm...”

“Take it easy, buddy,” Kay said, putting her hand on his shoulder. At a thought, her mask shrank down and returned to the amulet. Melvyn slowly started to recover and stood up.

“I got here as soon as I could, the energy coming out of here was intense! And so... angry!”

“Rage revenants,” Kay indicated, “tiny ones.”

“Rage revenants?! What the FUCK.”

“Tell me about it, they almost had Haley and Abby tearing each other’s hair out. Good thing I caught them by surprise when I flipped the armor on. At least I shouldn’t have to explain anything when the girls wake up.” She could hear distinct snoring patterns behind her and assumed the girls had all fallen asleep, their minds unable to comprehend the scene before them as Leah’s hadn’t.

Melvyn grinned until he glanced over Kay’s shoulder. “Uh, about that.” Kay looked at Mel, then turned to follow his gaze.

Maru was staring at Kay in complete adoration, her hands clasped in front of her chest. “Are you a Power Ranger?”

Kay was at a temporary loss for words. “ _Of course,_ you watch the Ferngill version.” she muttered to herself. She wanted to say something pleasant to Maru, or at least reassuring, but her disgust with the entire situation inflected it as pure snark.

“No, my name is actually Tsukino Usagi, and I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for Love and for Justice,” she replied in the flattest affect she could muster.

Maru started squeeing then. Melvyn’s hysterical laughter didn’t help.

*****

They brought Haley and Abby back to the cabin and placed them in the bed to sleep off the encounter. Melvyn summoned a third chair and he, Maru, and Kay sat around the dining table.

“Maru,” Kay started, “I know you have a ton of questions, and I will answer them, but we need to defer those for a bit. This is Melvyn, the local wizard.”

“Sorcerer of the First Realm of Ephiseus, etc.” Melvyn and Maru shook hands. Mel then removed a rolled up parchment from inside his robes and rolled it out on the table. It was a map of the whole valley, drawn in fine detail with landmarks carefully labeled. Superimposed on the image was a network of lines in gold, spread throughout the valley and connecting a number of specific points throughout.

Maru listened as Melvyn gave a brief explanation of the leylines that crossed the town and valley and the natural energy that the land and the people gave and took from them. Right now, that energy was at a low ebb for a number of reasons, but it had started rising since Kay arrived to work on the farm. Since the farm was a major nexus point, her caring for the land and harvesting crops essentially injected fresh power directly into the webway.

“Wait, like, in 40K? An Eldar webway?” Maru asked. Melvyn’s face brightened.

“Well, no, it’s not a gate system, I wouldn’t expect a bunch of Guardians or Howling Banshees to pop up randomly, but the concept is similar to how it functions in this context. Do you play?”

“Melvyn.” Kay interrupted.

“Sorry, sorry. So, when Kay first harvested, it sent a bunch of energy into the webway and it was distributed throughout the valley. If you noticed more animals scurrying around or had a really good day fishing, that would have been a result of the surge.” Melvyn coughed before continuing. “There was also another surge that night...” He looked at Kay, letting the words hang in the air.

“There was?” Kay asked, before she realized the implication and started blushing. “Oh! Yeah, I, uh... I suppose there was.” Maru looked at Kay quizzically. “Abby and I came back here after the bar.” The response caused Maru to start blushing as well.

“So, the law of conservation of energy doesn’t apply to this? Kay is just able to create this energy from nothing?” Maru asked, desperately changing the subject.

“Yes and no,” Melvyn replied. “Kay is expending personal energy to till the land, grow crops, help people out, etc., and that creates the mystic energy that feeds into the webway. It’s more like a light bulb: Kay consumes electrical energy and produces light and heat energy.”

“Oh! That makes more sense, thank you.” She appreciated Melvyn’s translation into scientific terms.

Melvyn continued. “I’ve been trying to find other signs that the valley is improving, but there’s something interfering. And now, that something seems to be taking steps to prevent Kay from helping.”

“What kind of steps?” Maru asked.

“Sending a phantasm to fill me with enough self-doubt to quit and leave town.” Kay replied.

“Or seeding rage revenants to stir up a lot of conflict and counteract the improvements.” Melvyn added.

Maru nodded, it _sort_ of made sense, even though her SCIENCE background made it difficult to accept magic at face value. “But, if something wants things to stay the way they are, why didn’t it do something when Kay got here?”

“I have a theory about that.” Kay said, turning to Melvyn. “You said that some of this energy is disappearing, right? Like, it’s being siphoned off somewhere that you can’t track?”

“Yeah, it’s subtle, but it’s definitely happening.”

“I’m willing to bet that whatever set that up can only siphon so much safely without causing weird phenomena to bring attention to itself. See also: Joja.”

Melvyn nodded. “Well, sure. Joja likely doesn’t know they’re doing it, so they wouldn’t notice the side-effects or recognize the damage they cause.” Melvyn pointed to the JojaMart. “All of these connections are essentially burned out from the drain. They’re essentially cut off from the webway until the connections heal.”

“Alright, so, until I got here, Agent X or whatever was only able to collect a tiny amount of energy at a time, so it would need to store it up for a while to achieve its goals or do anything else, right?”

Melvyn nodded. “But if you jump start the system, there’s more energy available to siphon off safely, which means it has extra to play with.”

“Or to accelerate its timeline.” Maru added. The color drained from Kay’s face.

“And I’ve got a big harvest due in Wednesday.”

Kay and Melvyn started discussing options, like holding off on harvesting or going celibate, but nothing seemed workable. Maru, on the other hand, studied the map. It seemed so familiar to her. When she finally recognized it, the solution seemed incredibly simple.

“Hey, can’t you just restrict the flow of energy out of the farm?”

Kay and Melvyn turned to he r.

“This looks like a circuit diagram,” Maru explained, “could you put in something like magical resistors or capacitors here at the farm and prevent the extra energy from leaving so quickly?”

Melvyn slapped his forehead. “Of COURSE, we can! Why didn’t I think of that!” He immediately looked crestfallen. “Oh, wait, we’d need to tie the excess energy into a structure of some variety, otherwise it would build and build until it blew out the circuit.”

“What would that look like?” Kay asked.

“Meteor impact, essentially.” They both frowned at that.

“How about the cabin?”

Melvyn shook his head. “Unless you’re comfortable living inside a magical battery, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“The greenhouse?” Maru offered.

“It needs to be an intact structure. We try to use the greenhouse in the shape its in, there’d be energy zip zapping all over the place.”

Kay had an idea. “How big does it need to be?”

“Bigger would be able to contain more energy, other than that, a small hut, a well maybe, heck, even a few more wooden chests like you have outside already.”

“What time is it?”

Melvyn withdrew an ornate pocket-watch from a robe pocket. “I have 4:15.”

“Maru, how late does Robin keep the shop open on Sundays?”

“Until 5, why?”

Kay grabbed her pack and counted her current savings. She was incredibly glad Willy bought the fish she’d caught earlier, that was enough to put her over.

“Melvyn, can you write up a brief technical overview of what’s happening here? I think we need Astria for this.”

“Sure,” Melvyn replied, summoning a stack of parchment and a writing quill. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d really appreciate the help. But, are you okay with your sisters finding out where you are?”

“You have _sisters?!_ ” Maru goggled. She tried to not imagine multiple versions of Kay taking her and Haley to the Bone Zone and failed miserably.

“I don’t think we can afford the privacy anymore. Maru, do you mind staying here and keeping an eye on Haley and Abby? I’ll be back soon.”

Maru nodded, half-hearing in the midst of a _very_ dirty thought, and Kay dashed out the door.

*****

Robin considered closing up a few minutes early, she was getting pretty hungry and wanted to get to dinner (Demetrius had already been cooking for a while, but she thought she might get a sneak preview). She put down her latest architectural drawings and started to stand when the front door slammed open and Kay rushed over to the counter. “Please tell me you’re still open!” the farmer said, her face a deeper shade of violet than normal.

“Hi, Kay, yeah,” Robin said, startled. “What can I do for you?”

The farmer dropped a large pouch of coins on the counter.

“I need a silo, and I need it by Wednesday.”

*****

Abby and Haley were still snoring away by the time Kay got back. Maru thought they looked adorable together, they had started spooning in their sleep with Abby as big spoon, hers and Haley’s arms entwined around Haley’s bust. Kay thought about clearing her throat in an attempt at waking them but decided against it, that would be mean.

She and Melvyn laid out plans for the farm. Robin said the silo would actually be ready by Tuesday, and she would come out to start work in the morning. Melvyn would come by later to lay in the enchantments necessary, preferably while Robin was on a break of some sort. He would also start putting in the other spells necessary that night. As he did that, Kay sat down to write one of the most difficult letters of her life.

*****

_Dearest Astria,_

_I wish to begin by begging the forgiveness of you, Thalia, Rosaria, and Vendria. I know that my betrayal and abandonment of you merits no mercy or quarter, and that I may never convince you of the necessity of my flight. Please believe that I had no other alternatives, and that I miss you all terribly every day._

_You may remember the name Daniel Gardner from some of my past interrogation reports. He was a Republic sergeant we captured in a sortie off the Angmearan coast and with whom I started a friendly correspondence after his escape. It was through the generosity of he and his wife, Kimberly, that I had a place to escape to, and it is from that farm outside of Pelican Town in Ferngill that I write to you today._

_This valley is vibrant with life and people, beyond anything I have experienced in Gotoro. The world is brighter, the air is cleaner. But there is something deeply wrong here, something interfering with the natural flow of life-force that threatens to drive the town and its people to misery and ruin. I have been here but a week, but already I feel a part of this community, and I have grown especially close to a number of people. These bonds are not the same as the bonds we sisters share, but they are important to me, and I wish to protect them to the best of my abilities._

_I would now like to introduce Melvyn Rasmodius, Sorcerer of the First Realm of Ephisius (amongst other titles). He is the local wizard of this community, and he is far removed from the character of same with which we are sadly familiar. He has kindly provided a more technical overview of the problem, which I include here, and we humbly ask for your assistance and advice in this matter. I understand if you are disinclined to provide same._

_I love you all dearly, now and always. Please keep me in your thoughts, as I keep you in mine._

_Love, Kaylia_

*****

“I said BRIEF!” Kay stared at the stack of pages Melvyn placed on the table.

“Trust me, that _is_ brief.” Melvyn protested. He proffered a large manila envelope, which Kay addressed. Melvyn then carefully slid his dissertation into the envelope and held it open as Kay inserted her letter on top. He sealed it and set it down on the table.

“How long would it take to get there normally?” he asked. Kay furrowed her brow.

“About a week, usually.” That was too slow, and they both knew it. She looked at Melvyn, searching his purple eyes, and he nodded.

“She’s going to find out about me already, no sense putting it off.” He rolled up his sleeves, held his hands over the envelope, muttered an incantation, and the envelope vanished with a *snap*. Kay felt relief that they’d asked for help, but also anxiety about what the response would be.

“That’s done.” Melvyn said with a nod. “Now, what about Maru?”

“What _about_ Maru?!” Kay and Maru asked in unison. Melvyn held his hands up in defense.

“Hey, I have to ask! I mean, you wanted to keep a low profile; that’s pretty difficult when there are witnesses to you going all Man and Machine, Power Xtreme.”

Kay shook her head in disbelief. “The Centurions? Really?”

“Anyway!” Melvyn turned to Maru. “I would put you under the Sleep of Ages and cast a memory charm, it’ll make the afternoon seem like an intense dream. Then, Kay is just a normal, non-transforming farmer again. You’d probably have to stay away from each other for a while, or else the charm might break and you’d remember everything, but I can help with that part too.”

“Now wait a second,” Kay said, “that’s a lot to dump on someone. I wouldn’t want a wizard messing around in my head if it were me.”

“Kay.”

Maru sat down and laid her hand over Kay’s. Kay saw a look of deep affection in Maru’s eyes, the girl’s glasses doing nothing to detract from the beauty of her violet pools.

“I’m gonna go look to those wards,” Melvyn said, making a quick yet graceful exit.

“I want to help. If that means putting some feelings on the back burner for a while as a wizard rewrites my memories, I can do that. I _want_ to do that.” She smiled, blushing a little. “I mean, I’d really like to get to know you better, and so would Haley, and I really want to know what it would be like to kiss you, cards on the table, so I’m willing to wait until you’re ready. I just need you to remind me afterwards that I’m telling my parents about me and Haley tonight.”

Kay teared up for the whatevereth time that day. How was it so easy to catch deep feelings for every cursed member of this community? She closed her eyes, reaching a decision with surprising ease.

“No. When Haley and Abby wake up, you get everything. I mean, I’d prefer it if you kept it to yourselves, but I won’t stop you if you need to tell others.” Kay chewed on her lip in thought. “I should probably tell Leah, too.”

“Why Leah?” Maru asked, this theoretical relationship was getting crazy complicated.

“She was here for the phantasm, that’s how I knew Abby and Haley wouldn’t remember and why I thought you wouldn’t either.”

They sat there for a moment, holding hands quietly.

“Seriously, though,” Maru said, “you have sisters?”

“Five of them.” Kay smiled. “I miss them, one of them especially.”

“I can’t wait to hear about them.” Maru sighed. “So, um, while I have you alone, could I get some advice about my parents?”

*****

The green tea was just ready as the girls started to awaken. They had shifted further and their legs were now as entwined as their arms.

“Gosh, how cute are they?” Maru asked Kay quietly. Kay was a little concerned about what might happen in Abby’s pants.

“...mmm, hey.” Abby was the first to say something, she assumed to Kay. She pulled the girl in closer.

“Hi,” Haley said, enjoying the arms and legs wrapped around her. Her butt was making contact with something firm, and she also assumed she was in bed with Kay. She wiggled her butt against it and got a soft moan in response.

“Hey, you two,” Kay said, “there’s some tea when you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Kay,” they said in unison. Kay turned to Maru and counted down on her fingers. 3... 2... 1...

“Thanks, Kay?!” they said again. They disentangled and Haley turned around.

“Uhh...” Abby was struck dumb by Haley’s brilliant blue eyes for a brief moment. “S-sorry, I thought you were Kay.”

“Obviously,” Haley said, taking in Abby’s rounded face. “You normally wear a strap-on under your pants?”

Abby looked positively mortified. “I, uh... was I...”

Haley smirked. “A little.” She rolled out of the bed gracefully and accepted a cup from Kay before sitting next to Maru. Kay brought another cup over to Abby as she sat up. The purple-haired girl accepted it and a soft kiss on the cheek.

“How are you feeling?” Kay asked.

“Ugh,” Abby replied, “like I’ve been buried in cement.” She sipped at the tea. “I had a real trippy dream, though.”

“Me, too.” Haley said. “We were walking up to the cabin, we saw you,” she indicated Abby, “and then we started fighting?”

Abby nodded. “Yeah, that happened to me, too. You said something bitchy, and then I said something bitchy, and I felt like I needed to slap your stupid face, I was so angry at you.”

Haley nodded. “Did Maru try to break us up and we sniped at her?”

“She did! Uh, sorry Maru.” Maru smiled and waved it off.

“But then Kay was there, right? Told us to stop in her ‘yes, mistress’ voice?” Haley continued. Kay raised an eyebrow at that.

“Yeah! And then she punched me!” Abby said it like it was the proudest moment of her life.

“She punched me too!” Haley suddenly covered her mouth. “I think it’s because I said something I shouldn’t have.”

Maru looked concerned. “What do you mean?”

“...I think I called Kay a dickgirl.” Maru and Abby gasped. Kay thought it interesting how Haley interpreted the revenant’s influence as being her own internal voice.

“You can’t use that word!” Maru and Abby said in unison.

“That’s super disrespectful!” Maru added.

“I know! It just popped in there!” Haley turned to Kay in contrition. “I’m sorry I called you that.”

“Apology accepted.” Kay smiled warmly, which had an effect on all three girls.

Abby started to get suspicious. “Is it just me, or is it really weird that Haley and I had the same dream.”

Kay sighed. “It would be, if it had been a dream.”

*****

Kaylia told them everything.

She started at the beginning with her creation by Imperial wizards along with her five Bladesisters, each designed to fulfill a specific role within the Empire while also perfectly subservient to the Emperor and the wizards, and how Astria prevented the gross parts of that conditioning. She gave a brief demonstration of her talents, showed off the armor and talked about the Galactic weapon she had bound, the Galaxy Spear, Lance of the Cosmos. She described her centuries of service, the Peerless Tactician leading the armies of Gotoro to victory upon victory. She talked about her sisters, especially Zoria, the Faceless Mask, the youngest, Kaylia’s deepest love and most passionate lover. She described the brutality of the Empire, especially its rulers, her subversion of their harshest orders, and her growing unease.

They had all crowded onto the bed as she described her relationship with Daniel Gardner, then a young man in his early twenties, and the friendship that grew out of their ‘interrogations’. She brought out the letters then, 45 years of correspondence that the girls paged through as she reminisced. They couldn’t believe the utterly filthy things the Gardners wrote about, the picture it painted of a loving but incredibly horny couple was completely at odds with the sweet grandparents they all remembered. They all teared up over the loss of the Gardners’ daughter, Kay and Z’s last night together before the Faceless Mask left on a mission from which she would not return, and especially Daniel’s last letter before he passed on. Kay cried with them, and they shared a massive hug. Finally, Kay described her escape, and her realization that her sisters knew she was leaving. The rest, they knew, mostly. She filled in the details of their fight, how they had been influenced by malicious spirits who fed on anger.

Abby drew Kay into a kiss first, deep and slow. When it broke, Haley and Maru looked at each other, then Maru leaned over and kissed Kay as well, soft and tentative. Haley pulled Kay to her to finish the job, her kiss hot and passionate. Kay sat there when they finished, a little shell-shocked, more so when Haley added “Preview of coming attractions” afterwards.

“Thank you for trusting us,” Maru said.

Kay looked at all of them in turn. “You deserve to know. If we’re going to be... I mean, if you want to...” She was incredibly flustered, almost like her first time with Zoria.

“Hey,” Abby said, taking her hand, “no secrets, right? If we’re going to be together, there’s no secrets.” Kay nodded. Abby smiled, then turned to Maru and Haley. If there were going to be anyone she told first, it would be Maru.

“I’m not wearing a strap-on,” she declared, “I’m intersex, like Kay is but a little different.”

Maru nodded as though it made perfect sense, Abby’s revelation explaining the ‘jerking off’ comments from earlier. “Thank you for telling us! I kind of wondered why you preferred men’s pants.”

Haley had a slightly different reaction. “Holy shit, you have a dick? What are you _packing_?! It felt huge against my ass!”

Abby blushed. “I mean, it’s not that-”

“Eight-and-a-half,” Kay interrupted, “maybe about, what, six-and-a-half around?”

“Damn!” Haley responded. “How’s it compare?” she asked Kay.

“She’s got me by an inch and one-and-a-half, respectively,” Kay admitted, “but I bet I have more experience. AND mine is purple, which is always fun.” She waggled her eyebrows lasciviously, sending the girls into fits of laughter.

“We should go,” Maru said as they recovered. She got up and gave Kay a big hug, their chests squashing together pleasantly. “Thank you so much, for everything.” Haley got up and did likewise.

“Good luck, let me know how it goes and if you need me to say something.” Kay responded. The girls nodded and left for Maru’s house. Kay turned to Abby as they left.

“That was brave,” Kay commented, “sorry I gave them your measurements without thinking though, I should have let you tell them.”

“That’s fine, they wouldn’t have believed me without corroboration, anyway.”

“We never got around to why _you_ stopped by.”

Abby nodded, leaning in to kiss Kay again when she remembered. “Oh! Shit! Right! Mom gave me a blowjob!”

“Ni-” Kay stopped herself, she realized that this wasn’t a brag. Abby’s face showed deep concern. “Okay,” Kay eventually responded. “Tell me everything that happened.”

*****

The Wright family always made it a point to eat dinner together. Breakfast and lunch were usually informal affairs given everyone’s different schedules, but dinner was 6PM sharp, always. Robin and Demetrius switched cooking duties regularly, and this particular Sunday dinner was a Demetrius affair: spicy jambalaya, the recipe handed down through generations of Wright men and women.

“Smells good, D,” Robin said as she set the table. Sebastian was already seated, leaning back against the wall and writing in a graph notebook. Maru had checked in earlier and would be along presently. Robin thought Maru seemed a little nervous and wondered what was on her daughter’s mind.

“Hey, slugger,” Demetrius said to Sebastian, “take the filé for the table?”

“Sure thing, Pops,” Seb replied, taking the thin glass jar from Demetrius and walking it back to the table. Theirs was a casual relationship; Sebastian was a toddler when Robin remarried, and Demetrius tried to be as good a father to Seb as he was to Maru, but they never really connected as father and son. It was clear that Maru was his favorite, and Seb was okay with that, she was his actual daughter after all. Sebastian still felt on the outside occasionally and his relationship with Maru clearly suffered for it.

Maru entered the kitchen and sat down next to Sebastian. It was rapidly approaching zero hour, and not even a quick 69 with Haley helped defuse her anxiety. Haley promised she’d be there for her, no matter what, and that her place was always open if she needed a safehouse for a bit. Maru hoped it wouldn’t be necessary _._

“Alright, dinner is served!” Demetrius announced, ladling the stew into bowls and passing them out. As the steam rose and the smell hit her nose, Maru started to feel a little better and also _extremely_ hungry. She tore a hunk off the baguette Robin placed on the table and waited until everyone was served and seated before tucking in.

“Someone’s hungry!” Robin laughed. The meal started pleasantly, everyone commenting on the jambalaya; Sebastian and Robin started chugging water after taking it on a little too quickly, the spice levels overwhelming their tolerances, while Maru thought it could go hotter and said as much. Demetrius wagged his head, considering the suggestion. Eventually, things settled down and the usual table discussion commenced.

“Miss Gardner’s already putting in a silo!” Robin said. “Came over here right before I closed up, dropped the money on the counter, and said she needed it by Wednesday.”

“I thought I heard her come in earlier!” Demetrius said. “She way why by Wednesday?”

“No,” Robin shook her head, “I haven’t built any coops or barns for her yet, so I can’t figure what she’d need a silo for unless it’s to start storing feed.”

Maru kept her mouth shut, as she’d promised. There were only three people that knew the real reason for that silo and she was keeping it that way.

“Still, I’m glad for the business, and that she’s doing so well so soon!” Robin was genuinely impressed with the farmer and was looking forward to seeing her in action when construction began.

“Oh! How’s that synth UI coming?” Demetrius asked Sebastian. The black-haired youth shrugged.

“It looks great, but there’s still too much response delay between it and the pre-amp controller, it’s driving me up a wall.”

“Any rogue recursive loops you missed?” Maru asked politely. She wasn’t nearly as proficient a coder as Sebastian was, but he sometimes appreciated a “nine-year-old’s opinion” when he got too focused on small details.

Sebastian shrugged. “I mean, maybe. I should probably review the pre-amp code again to make sure.” He spooned a shrimp out of his bowl and tried to eat it in a single bite. Maru looked away as he failed and spit a portion back out into the bowl.

“How was your day, Maru?” Robin asked. Maru sighed.

“Pretty good. I took that last chunk of meteorological data from dad’s study and got it processing through the weather simulator.” She took a small drink of water before continuing. Her heart was pounding. “I met up with Haley, we’re going to go to the Saloon Tuesday night and grab dinner.”

“That sounds nice!” Robin said. She was happy Maru was starting to socialize more. “Are you going to exchange fashion or robotics advice?”

_Here goes._ “Not really. We’ve been seeing each other for over a year, we figured it’s time to go on a formal date. Like, in public.”

Sebastian nearly choked on the rest of his shrimp.

“I beg your pardon?” Demetrius asked, his voice level. Maru winced.

“Haley and I have been seeing each other. We’re pretty close, and we wanted to have a date night, but we couldn’t do that until I told you about it. I didn’t want it getting back to you second-hand.”

“A year?” Robin asked, and Maru nodded.

Demetrius was floored. He’d been tutoring Haley in the fine arts of pocket billiards for over three years at that point, and he thought he saw the signs of a secret relationship when her game started to decline... just over a year ago. He knew her supposed on-off thing with Alex was a dodge, but he’d believed her when she said it was because she didn’t want to deal with dating at all. She had been improving again, so all was well, but at no time had he even _suspected_ she was seeing his own daughter!

“That’s great!” Robin said, getting up to hug Maru. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! How did you meet? Is she a good kisser? Have you hooked up yet?”

“Mom!” Maru said, pushing Robin away playfully. She expected this reaction and knew it would probably get more invasive before long.

“Mom, gross,” Sebastian said, looking at the remainder of his jambalaya with mild disgust, “some of us are trying to eat.” That reaction was also expected.

“Seb, hush,” Robin chided, “if you’re worried I won’t gush over you finding a nice young man of your own, don’t you fret. Now, Maru, seriously, have you shown her your boobs yet?” Yep, there it was.

“Mom! That’s private!” Maru started getting worried, her dad hadn’t said anything and had that lost-in-thought look on his face, the one he got when he was chewing on a difficult problem.

“Father, dearest Father,” Sebastian pleaded, “would you please do something to stop this! I’m trying to eat, and all this talk of private girl time is icky. Seriously though,” he said, dropping his voice a little, “nice job nailing the cheerleader.”

Maru would have teared up at the back-handed congratulations if she hadn’t been worried. “Dad?”

Demetrius set his fork down and placed his hands on the table. “Over a year.” Maru nodded sheepishly. Robin didn’t like her husband’s tone.

“D, your daughter-” Demetrius cut her off with a raised hand.

“I suppose you intend to continue seeing Haley more frequently at this point.”

Maru gulped, keeping Kay’s big piece of advice in mind: _Stand your ground._ “Yeah, dad. We really care about each other.”

“I further suppose you would do so whether I approved or disapproved.” His voice had grown slightly colder.

“Demetrius, that’s hardly-”

“Robin, please.” He turned to look at Maru, who nodded.

“Yeah. We’re in love.” They hadn’t said the words yet, but Maru was certain of it.

There was silence for a moment. Maru’s heart felt about to leap out of her chest.

“Maru, I’m sorry.”

She felt the hammer starting to drop when Demetrius suddenly wrapped her up in a tight hug, his voice choking a little. “I’m so sorry you thought you had to hide this.”

They both broke down sobbing, Robin getting swept up in the emotions and joining them. They said how much they loved one another, that Maru could trust them with anything. Sebastian rolled his eyes at the sappy display before covertly wiping a tear from the corner of his eye; DAMN, this jambalaya was spicy.

They all returned to their seats to finish their dinner. Demetrius shook his head. “I honestly had no idea! Your output this past year has been exceptional.” Of course he would swing it back to science and efficiency.

“That’s what happens when you get laid on a regular basis!” Robin cheerfully offered.

“MOM.” Maru and Sebastian said in unison.

“Well, it’s true.” she responded, sticking her tongue out at her children.

“And not just Maru, Haley had me fooled as well!”

Maru narrowed her eyes at her dad. That was unexpected, to say the least.

Robin reacted the same way. “You, um... you’ve been spending a lot of time with Haley, have you?”

Demetrius looked as though he had just been shot. “Yes, well, uh... she asked for some assistance with her studies and I’ve been tutoring her on Saturday mornings.” That seemed plausible enough.

“Uh huh.” Robin tapped her index finger on the table. “And where has this tutoring been occurring?”

“The, ah, the Saloon. Gus lets us use the place, no one’s there that early and we get a lot of studying done.”

“I see.”

This was news to Maru as well. “What has she needed help with?”

“Oh!” This was going from bad to worse. “You know, geometry, Newtonian mechanics, Keynesian economic theory...”

“Demetrius Luther Wright,” Robin said, “PLEASE tell me you haven’t been teaching that sweet young lady how to hustle pool!” Robin only used full names when someone was in serious trouble and they all knew it.

“Of course not!” Demetrius defended himself. “I don’t use my powers for evil!” He gave his step-son the side-eye. “...unlike _some_ I could name.” Sebastian smiled and raised his bowl in salute.

“Then why?” Robin asked.

“Because she’s good! She’s better than I was at her age, and now that I know why she’s been losing focus occasionally, she can only get better! She might have a chance at breaking into the tour!”

Maru grimaced. “Sorry, daddy.”

“You’re fine, pumpkin,” Demetrius replied, “I’ll bet it’s because she _hasn’t_ seen you for a while, not the other way around.”

“Hmm.” Robin figured his Saturday morning special project had to do with pool, and this was far preferable to his getting ready for another championship run.

Dinner was mostly over at that point, and Maru helped her parents clean up. They made quick work of the dishes, and Maru started to put the leftovers away before Demetrius stopped her.

“We can take care of this, go see Haley.”

Maru hugged her parents and dashed off with a shouted “Thanks! Love you! Don’t wait up!”

Robin put her arm around Demetrius’s waist. “Our little girl is becoming a woman.”

“I’d say she’s been a woman for quite a while,” he replied, “though, for a moment, I thought she was getting back at us for yesterday.”

“Us?” Robin jabbed him in the side. “You’re the one that insisted on some afternoon delight!”

“UGH, I AM STILL RIGHT HERE.” Sebastian said.

*****

Emily held Haley’s hand across the bar. “I’m sure it’s going fine, the Wrights are reasonable people.” Haley was on the verge of tears and sick with worry. She’d tried to assure Maru of exactly that, but she wasn’t sure if she believed it herself.

“I just, what if he says we can’t see each other? He’d know to look for it now!”

“You don’t know that he will.” Emily said. She hated seeing Haley like this, but didn’t know what to say to help her feel better. She looked up as the Saloon door swung open, and she she smiled. Someone else clearly did know what to say.

Maru walked right over to Haley, spun her around, and planted the deepest kiss the bar’s patrons had seen in quite a while. The two girls’ arms wrapped around each other in a passionate embrace, the kiss breaking for air.

“I love you, Haley Carter.” Maru said. Haley gasped before she started to cry.

“I love you, Maru Wright!” She kissed Maru again before whispering “Take me home, I need to fuck your brains out.”

Maru smiled. “I have a better idea.”

The two ran out of the tavern hand in hand, giggling the entire way. Emily beamed to see her sister’s relationship both confirmed and now public.

“Maru and Haley, huh?” Gus mused. “I never suspected a thing!”

“They were very good at keeping it quiet.” Emily responded, before smirking. “Usually, anyway.”

“Goddess bless ‘em!” Pam said, raising her half-full glass. “Glad to see the kids of this town making some happiness for themselves.”

“Hear hear!” Gus agreed. “I’d say this calls for a round on me!”

Emily smiled as she started wiping down the bar. She had a feeling Haley wouldn’t be home that night.

*****

Kay sipped at some lukewarm tea as she considered Abigail’s tale. The entire encounter sounded incredibly hot, and he hadn’t realized Caroline’s chest was as big as hers, obscured as it was behind her shop apron. She was sure mother and daughter enjoyed themselves in the moment.

Abby was thoroughly shaken by it, however, mostly by how _right_ it felt to put her cock in Caroline’s mouth; that it was not just cum but Abby’s love that spurted into her mom’s mouth, love that was reflected in Caroline’s eyes as she took Abby into her throat.

“I just don’t know what to do about all of this,” Abby said, her head cradled over Kay’s shoulder. “It was so amazing, and it felt so dirty, I couldn’t stop cumming. But I don’t know if I want that kind of relationship with mom.”

“Was that your first blowjob ever?” Kay asked. Abby nodded in response. “That explains why it was so intense, and I think it being your mom added another layer to all of it. What do you mean by ‘that kind of relationship’?”

Abby frowned. “It’s a little difficult to explain.”

“Take your time,” Kay replied.

“I love my parents, and I love that they _act_ like parents. Like, dad especially. I’m his baby girl and he gets super-protective of me sometimes. I’ve seen how bad he feels when I’m sad or being a brat, you know? No matter what, I’m his little girl.”

“Sure,” Kay said, “that makes sense.”

“So, mom is the same way, but when I started getting older, like 18, she started treating me like a best friend, too. If I needed to talk about super girly things or how I was feeling, she was always there. But there was that sexy edge to it, _especially_ after she caught me jerking off the first time. Honestly, I thought that’s all that would happen this time, too; I’d get off with her watching, she’d make some jokes about it, and that would be it. I wasn’t expecting her to...”

_Started when she was 18..._ “Hey, how old are you?”

Abby scoffed. “Uh, rude!”

Kay narrowed her eyes. “I told you how old I was.”

“Yeah, but you’re like three hundred years old! That’s different!”

“And I don’t look a day over 125,” Kay replied, getting a chuckle from Abby. “No, seriously though.”

“23. 24 in the fall.”

“Okay, let me ask you this, and seriously think about it before you answer: do you feel like there is anything fundamentally wrong about having sex with your mom?”

Abby pursed her lips as she considered the question, and her eyes widened as she came to an answer. “No, I don’t.”

“Why not?” Kay was on to something, Abby could see it in her face.

“We’re clearly attracted to each other, and if we want to share our bodies with each other, I don’t see who that would hurt. Except maybe dad, but I think he’d be okay with it, too.”

“Even though society at large thinks it’s gross and terrible?”

“Yeah, society can eat my dick.” They both laughed at that.

“So your real concern is that if you and your mom start banging on the regular, you’re going to lose the relationship you have as mother and daughter. Like, you’ll be lovers, not family.”

Abby nodded. “That’s it exactly.”

“Okay. Same initial question, but sex with your dad instead.”

“UGH,” Abby’s reaction was swift and visceral. “That’s gross! He’s my DAD, Kay!”

“So sex with your mom is okay, but sex with your dad is not. Is that right?”

Abby thought about it. It did sound weird that she would be okay with her mom and not okay with her dad, but all of that felt... right. Natural. “Yeah, that sounds right.”

Kay thought about Abby’s situation. Frankly, if she said Abby needed to stop things going any further with her mother, she’d be a GIANT hypocrite considering Kay’s relationship with Zoria. But, if there was any possibility that they were being coerced into having sexy times, they were laboring under false pretenses and that enchantment would need to be broken. Kay had seen the aftereffects of a broken love enchantment, and it could be devastating to both parties if handled incorrectly.

“Okay, as far as your relationship goes, you should talk to your mom about it. Setting aside how you feel about getting it on with her, you have to get your communication in order first. Tell her you’re worried about losing your mom in exchange for gaining a lover. Ask her how she feels about all of this, find out how she feels about your relationship. Do the work, essentially.”

Abby nodded. “That sounds reasonable.”

“As far as sexy times. Full disclosure, I would love to deepthroat your cock while your mom deepthroated mine, and if that happened, I think you should be licking your mom’s pussy to close the circle. SUPER. HOT.” Abby laughed at that. “But there is something going on that throws a wrench in. You were still unconscious when Melvyn was here, so you missed the discussion about what’s happening in the valley on a magical level.”

“You met the wizard?!” Abby asked. “Damn it! I want to meet him! He sounds so cool!”

Kay shook her head. “I can probably arrange that, but temper your expectations, he’s a giant, awkward nerd.”

“Isn’t everyone?”

“Point. Anyway, his dad disappeared 5 years ago trying to work some kind of ritual on the entire valley. We don’t know what he did-”

“-but it might have something to do with how mom and I want to fuck?” Abby made the connection before Kay could say it.

“Yeah. I am all for sexy incest between a busty mother and daughter, but only if they come by it honestly.” _GODDESS_ , that sounded weird. “I have to bring up the possibility that there’s some kind of enchantment drawing you two together, and it wouldn’t be fair to say ‘Yeah, totally go for it!’ while it was in place. That’s why I say you should talk to her first and make sure your relationship is in the place you both want it before you go any further. That way, if there is some magic that needs to be broken, you’ll be in a better emotional state afterwards to cope with what happened. That’s the bad news.”

Abby considered Kay’s position. It would be objectively terrible if something was manipulating she and her mom into having sex without any sort of control or say in the matter. Kay was right: she really wanted to explore these new feelings for her mom, but not if they were manufactured. The more she thought about it, the more disgusted she felt.

“There’s good news?” Abby asked. Kay nodded.

“Now that we have some idea of what to look for, I can ask Melvyn to give you a mystical checkup. If you’re under some kind of enchantment, we can try to break it. If you come back with a clean bill of magical health, I look forward to being the other person in that fantasy of yours someday. Maybe.”

“You’d have to check mom too, right?”

“Yeah, but luckily, the process is pretty simple. We’d need a lock of hair, about two to three inches worth.”

Abby stood up, produced a butterfly knife from her back pocket, and rapidly unfolded the blade with a flourish. Kay stepped back, startled by the dexterous display.

“Goddess’ sake, Abby!”

“Sorry,” Abby said sheepishly, “please don’t tell Dad I have one of these.” She took hold of a strand of hair from behind her neck and sliced off an appropriate length. Kay accepted it as Abby stored the knife with another flourish.

“We need to talk about that later.” Kay tamped down on her utter adoration of Abby’s newly revealed skill, that was inappropriate right now.

“So, what about us?” Abby asked. “This has been a lot today, what with Maru and Haley, and my mom. Do we need to cool it for a bit?”

Kay thought about it. It wasn’t a terrible idea, honestly she probably shouldn’t be pursuing _any_ kind of romantic entanglements while the farm was still spooling up or while vaguely looming supernatural threats still... loomed. But she really enjoyed spending time with Abby, and she was also looking forward to getting to know Maru and Haley now that they were (hopefully) public. Also, she was pretty horny at the moment and that wasn’t helping her decision-making.

“Let’s just play things by ear for now and wait for the test results.”

Abby gave Kay a hug and a kiss on her cheek. She felt Kay’s hardness through their pants and smirked, reaching down to caress her member.

“Are you sure I can’t give you a hand?”

Kay’s eyes fluttered, but reason asserted itself and she gently parted from Abby. “Not tonight, I’m wiped and you need to talk to your mom.”

“Ugh, responsibility sucks.” Abby pouted before kissing Kay lightly on the lips. “Just promise me you’ll take care of that and tell me about it?”

“Of course.” Kay smiled as Abby left. She hoped she hadn’t steered Abby wrong with her advice, but only time would answer that. She waited a moment before disrobing, she needed to be naked right now.

*****

Abby walked home mulling over the day’s events the twilight wrapping her like a cloak. Her fight with Haley still seemed like a dream, and it frightened her that something could guide her into it so easily. It frightened her even more to think that her feelings for her mother might be the product of similar manipulation, and she really hoped it wasn’t the case. She needed to meet that wizard, if only to ask about protecting herself and her family and friends from whatever magical bullshit was going around.

She heard the giggling before she saw Maru and Haley dashing towards her. Abby immediately brightened at the sight of the pair, running hand in hand and deliriously happy. Maru let go of Haley’s hand to hug Abby, bouncing up and down.

“We’re official!” Maru said, and Abby started screaming for joy with her. They were quickly interrupted by Haley, who pulled Maru away and started leading her back to the farm.

“Where are you two off to?” Abby asked, guessing the answer.

“The greenhouse, we’re gonna give Kay a show.” Haley said, her voice dripping with lust. “Want to come along? As an observer, of course.”

Abby shook her head. “You two have fun, I need to get home.” She turned back towards town as the couple started off again. Abby thought of giving them the advice her mom gave her, but decided against it. They’d figure it out soon enough. She found herself hoping they convinced Kay to join them, if only so Kay could blow off some steam.

*****

Abby hadn’t been gone ten minutes before Kay heard the running footsteps. She had decided to hold off on jerking it for a bit and was perusing her correspondence with the Gardners, looking through the less scandalous letters and enjoying their descriptions of Pelican Town from decades past.

There were two of them, and they ran past the cabin directly to the greenhouse. Kay smiled; their lack of discretion obviously meant a positive result, and she thought about writing a note of congratulations to leave for the happy couple in the morning.

The moaning started immediately, Haley from the sound of it. Kay’s cock twitched at the sound of the girls’ ardor, and she put the letters away before she turned the lantern down. She wondered whether she should give them some privacy or sneak out to again play the voyeur.

“Oh, Goddess, Maru,” Haley moaned, “keep licking my pussy!”

Kay laughed, shaking her head, it was clear they weren’t concerned about bothering her. But her attitude changed when her sensitive ears picked up Maru saying “louder,” followed by Haley moaning in delight. _They WANT me to know_ , she realized, her cock throbbing. She slowly rose from the chair and left the cabin quietly.

It had gotten dark quickly, and Kay was able to approach undetected. The girls were both as naked as Kay, their clothes strewn in a line from in front of the cabin to the greenhouse. Haley was standing, her DD-cup breasts on full, glorious display. Haley was actually bigger all around than Kay realized; her thighs looked like they could crush melons with ease, and Kay suspected Haley’s butt would be appropriately full and round. Her hands were in Maru’s auburn hair as she buried her face in Haley’s pussy, licking and sucking with abandon. Maru’s massive boobs bounced and swayed as she played with her girlfriend, her body also quite shapely but slightly less thick.

Haley was in complete ecstasy, her love tasting of her deeply and driving her to an exultant climax.

“Come for me,” Maru growled, her tongue attacking Haley’s clit.

“Yeah, I’m gonna cum, baby!” Haley’s whole body began to shake as her orgasm began. She held Maru in place and ground against the redhead’s face, riding her orgasm out as Maru drank deeply of her. Before long, Haley dropped to her knees and gave Maru a searing kiss, their tongues probing each other’s mouth as they locked in a close embrace.

“Goddess, that was amazing” Haley said, kneading Maru’s breasts before dipping her head to devour them.

“We’re official now,” Maru gasped, “we can do this whenever we want.” She pulled Haley into her deep cleavage, her tits wrapping around Haley’s face as she licked Maru’s sensitive skin.

Kay was incredibly turned on by the lovers’ display. She stood just out of the girls’ vision, idly stroking her violet cock as she watched them lavish each other’s tits with loving attention. They obviously wanted her to watch, but maybe they’d be interested in watching as well.

“Good evening, ladies,” Kay announced herself as she strode into the greenhouse.

Haley and Maru turned, their jaws dropping at the sight of the violet goddess. She was naked as they were, her F-cup breasts sitting high and proud on her chest. Her cock was completely hard, and it stood proudly as she came into view. The lantern light gave her skin an orange cast, but her eyes drew their complete attention: the crimson pools burned like magma in the darkness, and they could see the lust she felt towards them.

“I heard some commotion over here,” Kay continued slowly, her cock bouncing with every step she took, “I thought I might take a look and see what was happening.”

Maru’s eyes were drawn to the violet member. She remembered the stroke session she’d watched from afar, the fantasies it fueled later. She involuntarily licked her lips as she imagined filling her mouth with it.

Haley noticed this, and took the initiative. “We’re officially a couple,” she said seductively, “we came here to celebrate, I hope you don’t mind, Miss Gardner.”

Kay smirked. “Of course not, Miss Carter. You two must have a lot to make up for, I should probably leave you alone.” She slowly turned to leave.

“NO!” Maru shouted, surprising both Kay and Haley. “I-I mean, no, please, stay.”

“I don’t want to get in your way,” Kay said, “you two look so... sexy together.”

Haley moved to sit behind Maru, reaching around to cup her massive tits as she leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I can see you staring at Kay’s cock, my love.” Maru gasped before meekly nodding.

“That’s okay,” Haley continued, “I can’t help but stare at it either, it’s so pretty and feminine, not like some icky boy’s penis.”

Now that she was closer to it, Maru realized it did look different from most of the dicks she had seen before. It was smoother, not as angry (if emotions like anger could be attributed to a body part). It had a graceful arc to it, and there was a small drop of a clear liquid sitting on the head.

“I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to suck on it,” Haley said, gently squeezing Maru’s nipples. Maru moaned loudly at both the stimulation and the suggestion. “I don’t know if I could resist it, myself, but I didn’t realize how badly I wanted to watch you take it into your mouth until right now.”

Kay couldn’t believe the scenario Haley was laying out, but she knew how to make it hotter. “Ladies, if you’ll permit me, I’d like to offer my congratulations to you as well as thank you for the warm welcome you gave me on my first, lonely night here.” She slowly stepped over to stand in front of Maru, her cock pointed at the girl’s face.

“What did you have in mind, Miss Gardner?” Haley asked sweetly.

“If Miss Wright is interested, I would be honored if she would suck on my hard girlcock while her girlfriend sat on my face.”

Haley gasped, she hadn’t seen that coming at all, and her pussy gushed a little at the suggestion. Meanwhile, Maru was shuddering with lust. She had almost leaned forward to devour Kay’s cock unbidden, and she was glad of her sudden burst of restraint. Maru looked at Haley, then turned back to Kay.

“Miss Gardner,” Maru replied, “you honor me, and though I am inexperienced with the lewd act you suggest, I would be more than happy to give my very best effort at sucking your very soul from you.”

“Oh Goddess,” Haley moaned, “the formal talk is SO FUCKING HOT.”

Kay smiled, she was absolutely down for this. “Miss Wright, I am so happy you are allowing me to join you this evening. I wonder if I might ask a few favors of you.”

Maru bowed her head in assent. “Of course, Miss Gardner.”

“What are you two _doing_ to me?” Haley was going crazy with lust. Kay and Maru ignored her, which only made it worse.

“Firstly, I would very much like to kiss both you and your lovely girlfriend. After all, we have yet to be properly introduced, and to presume to go further without presenting my credentials feels unseemly.”

Maru wasn’t sure why Victorian-style propriety and language drove Haley mad, but she loved it as much as Haley did and was very glad for the opportunity. “Of course, Miss Gardner, a most reasonable and proper request.”

Kay knelt down in front of the girls and started with Maru. She leaned over and gently licked Maru’s lips before making contact, placing her hand under Maru’s chin to raise it as their lips met. It was a sweet, tender kiss, and Maru placed her hand on Kay’s hip as it deepened. Their lips parted, and Maru’s tongue sought out Kay’s to touch and swirl, eliciting a moan from the farmer. Eventually, they parted as Kay turned to Haley.

“Oh, FUCK, yeah,” Haley moaned. She took Kay’s face in her hands as she leapt at her, driving her tongue into Kay’s waiting mouth and moaning uncontrollably. As before, this kiss was wild and uncontrolled, and Kay sucked on Haley’s tongue as the blonde tried desperately to force it down Kay’s throat. Haley reached down to maul one of Kay’s tits, and Kay shifted to give her better access.

They both gasped when a third tongue found its way into their kiss, Maru joining the torrid embrace, and Haley screamed into their mouths as she was taken by a sudden climax. She was so turned on to be shared by two busty lovers, her body convulsed through her second orgasm of the night. The three-way kiss slowed as Haley came down, and they finally separated as Haley recovered.

“Holy _shit_ ,’ she said, gasping for breath, “that was incredible.”

Maru smiled, kissing Haley on the nose before returning to Kay. “I hope that was satisfactory?”

“Oh yes, _most_ satisfactory.” Kay grinned, she appreciated how much fun this dialog added.

“You next request?” Maru asked, placing her hands in her lap and using her arms to press her breasts together.

“Well, Miss Wright, I can tell by your posture that you realize I am rather attracted to certain... aspects of the feminine form.” Kay openly stared at the massive chest before her, the broad areolae and pert nipples bracketing the deep valley of cleavage now prominently on display. “I hope you do not think it too forward of me, but I was wondering...” Kay left the question to hang in the air.

“Why, Miss Gardner!” Maru replied, thrusting her chest out just a little more. “Are you saying you wish to worship my breasts?”

“Goddess, yes, Miss Wright,” Kay moaned, “I have often dreamed of placing my lips upon those orbs of perfection.”

Maru placed her hand at the back of Kay’s head and guided her to her right breast. She wasted no time, wrapping her lips around the nipple and drawing it into her mouth. Maru threw her head back and cried out in pleasure, her sensitive breast reacting immediately to the softness of Kay’s mouth. Kay licked the entire areola before gently sucking as much of it into her mouth as possible, driving Maru to moan louder.

“Oh, Goddess!” Maru said taking her equally mammoth left breast in her own arm and lifting it to her mouth. As her lips made contact to her nipple, she felt her orgasm trigger, powerful waves of pleasure racking her body as she and Kay worshiped those heavenly globes. Kay was hit with her own wave, not a full orgasm, but enough to send a healthy spurt of precum dribbling down her cock.

Haley sat back in awe at the lewd display, taking her own sizable boobs in hand and massaging them as she recovered. Kay saw Haley playing with her tits out of the corner of her eye and turned to her once Maru began to settle into a post-climax reverie.

“Hey,” she said, “nice tits.”

“Thanks,” Haley replied, “you too. I wanna suck on them.”

“Please do.”

Haley crawled over and took Kay’s left nipple into her mouth, leaning in to the soft breast and moaning softly. Kay closed her eyes and luxuriated in the sensation as Haley licked and teased her nipple. Kay reached down to stroke her cock, and her hand was soon joined by Haley’s.

“I can’t believe this,” Haley whispered, “and I can’t wait to see Maru suck it.”

“Is that right?” Kay replied. She was starting to get the hang of the girls’ dynamics. “You don’t want to suck it first?”

Haley shook her head as she stroked Kay’s girlcock. “Uh-uh. Maru’s been dreaming about it since she saw you jerk off, it’s only fair. Besides, you’ll be busy.”

Kay moaned. “I’m so excited.” She decided to ramp things up a bit. “You know, you can say it if I say it’s okay.”

Haley tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“If I say I want to be your sexy... _dickgirl_... queen... you can call me that.”

Haley’s core tightened, it sounded so sexy when Kay said it. She jerked Kay a little faster. “You mean it?”

“Yes. Now say it.”

Haley bit her lip. "You wanna be my sexy dickgirl queen?" Kay nodded.

She kissed Kay furiously, stroking her hot cock and pressing her tits into Kay’s. Kay pulled Haley into a tight embrace and returned the kiss with equal passion. She felt the pressure starting to build in her cock, and she grabbed Haley’s wrist to stop the action.

“What?” Haley asked, worried she’d done something wrong.

“I don’t want to cum yet.” Kay said, glancing at Maru.

“Goddess!” Haley kissed Kay again before turning to her girlfriend.

Maru had been watching the display with interest. She was glad Kay would let Haley use that word, it definitely sounded crazy sexy. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to say it, but she also got the feeling that would be okay; it was clear Kay could draw the submissive streak in Haley out fairly easily.

“I think she’s ready for you, babe.” Haley said, beckoning Maru over.

Maru’s heart pounded in her chest, the weight of a powerful fantasy about to be realized sending chills down her spine. She moved over and looked deeply into Kay’s eyes. She could see the fire burning in them, fire for her, but also a kindness that she had only ever seen in Haley’s deep blues.

“Miss Gardner,” Maru said, her voice a little shaky, “w-would you like me to suck your cock?”

Kay gently pulled Maru into a hug, sensing the girl’s nervousness. “We can stop right now if you want,” she whispered, “this has already been an amazing evening and thank you for letting me share in it.”

Haley could hear Kay’s whispers and her heart fluttered. This woman was _legit_ , in every possible way, and she felt herself fall for Kay, just a little.

Maru smiled, placing a soft kiss on Kay’s cheek. She was more than Maru could ever have dreamed of, so sexy and strong, so caring and understanding. Haley was Maru’s one true love, she knew this in her soul, but she felt as though there might be a little room for one more, maybe.

“Thank you,” Maru said quietly, and her voice deepened, “but I’m going to need you to cum in my mouth.”

Kay grinned, tossing a glance at Haley before leaning in closer. “Okay, so, last request: I’m pretty sure I will wither and die if I don’t get a chance to eat Haley’s ass. If she’s not into that, or if you haven’t done that yet and you want to be her first, I’d really appreciate you telling me now before I’m between her thighs. I’m assuming you both have rights of first refusal on various acts, and I don’t want to step on any toes.”

Maru couldn’t keep a loud giggle from escaping but recovered quickly. If there was any doubt that Kay was a perfect partner for them, it had just been dispelled. She cupped her hands around Kay’s ear to reply.

“Okay, so, I don’t know how, but you just said the magic words as far as Haley is concerned. She LOVES it when I go down on her ass, I love doing it, and you will have a willing slut for life if you let her know you want that.”

“Okay then!” Kay said, suddenly very excited. This particular urge occurred to Kay when she suggested Haley sit on her face. She personally enjoyed receiving it, and she’d always gotten high marks from Zoria when she’d rimmed her sister, but she’d never done it to or received it from anyone else. She then cupped her hands around Maru’s ear.

“And if you feel the urge to rim me, go right ahead, just go easy on my cock if you do unless you want to wear my cum in your hair.”

“Good to know!” Maru said.

Kay laid down on the cushions Haley had prepped earlier, and Maru crawled between her legs, her massive tits resting against Kay’s legs. Haley knelt down next to Kay.

“So,” she said, “how would you like your head crushed today?”

“Whichever way lets me devour that huge ass.”

Haley excitedly kissed Kay with a wild moan before kneeling over her face, orienting to watch Maru. Kay immediately brought her face up between Haley’s full, rounded cheeks to lick at her tiny star as Maru wrapped her lips around Kay’s head. The screaming started immediately as the trio’s arousal skyrocketed. Haley’s body shook violently as Kay raked her tongue across her backside, and the sensation of Maru’s mouth on her cock was intense.

Maru nearly climaxed on the spot. She’d always known she was more orally oriented, but the feel of Kay’s hard cock in her mouth drove her absolutely wild. It was firm and smooth, and the way it filled her mouth drove her crazy with lust. The taste was delicious, sweet and a little musky, and the little pulses of precum enhanced the experience. She took her time exploring, licking the length of it, dropping down to suck one of Kay’s balls into her mouth briefly before returning to plunge down on the violet member. Her inexperience was quickly dispelled as she learned what worked for her and what made Kay respond with hip thrusts and moans. As her own ardor grew, Maru knew she would explode the second Kay did.

Kay was doing her best to resist cumming too soon, which was not easy. Maru was a _very_ quick study, and Kay marveled at how much of her length Maru could swallow already. Luckily, she could focus on Haley’s warm, wonderful ass as a distraction. Haley’s large butt-cheeks wrapped themselves around Kay’s face as she licked and massaged her tight entry, and Kay couldn’t resist grabbing those globes to both spread them for easier access and press them against her face.

Haley was in utter heaven, and as the only one of the trio with her mouth unoccupied, she made sure her lovers knew it with a steady stream of filthy language. “Yeah, Kay, tongue my ass! How are you so good at that, don’t stop! Goddess, Maru looks so sexy sucking on your cock, I’ll bet she’s going to swallow every drop of your cum. I wish I could watch you burst right down her throat. Ahn, yes, right there! Your tongue is amazing, Kay! I can’t wait for my turn to suck you dry, it looks soooo gooooood...”

Maru wanted to cum. She could feel that Kay was almost there given the way her cock was throbbing, and it drove her crazy knowing she was about to make the violet goddess pop. She quickly withdrew Kay’s cock from her mouth and ducked down to plant a deep kiss on and moan into Kay’s ass, flicking the entry with her tongue briefly before returning her lips to Kay’s head.

Kay came first. She screamed into Haley’s ass as she exploded in Maru’s mouth. The second that first blast of cream hit Maru’s tongue, she started moaning wildly as her pussy squirted. She frantically stroked Kay as she sucked on the head, milking her delicious girlcock for every drop of cum she could. Meanwhile, Kay’s scream set Haley off, and she ground her ass into Kay’s face as she came. She locked eyes with Maru, both girls having the same thought, and leaned over to replace Maru on Kay’s dick, sucking down her own share of Kay’s wonderful cum. The shift allowed Kay to latch onto Haley’s clit, and she was immediately rewarded with a splash of Haley’s nectar over her face. Maru and Haley continued to trade off on sucking Kay, savoring her lovely cream.

Eventually, the three women collapsed in a pile, their limbs tangled together as they entered a post-coital state of extreme bliss. Haley, having proven the more vocal of the trio, commented first.

“FUCK,” she said. It seemed all that was necessary, really.

“Kay, I think you came in my brain,” Maru said.

“Is there any left?” Kay asked.

“Why?” Haley asked.

“I love the taste of my own cum.” Kay responded.

“Goddess,” Haley said, “please stop saying sexy things, I’m fucked out.”

Maru worked her way over and kissed Kay, depositing what remnants of Kay’s spend she had left. Kay moaned in appreciation and contentment.

“Thank you, Miss Wright.”

“You’re most welcome, Miss Gardner.”

“Thank you, too, Miss Carter.”

Haley raised her arm in the air and gave Kay a thumbs up.

They laid there in the growing darkness, catching their breath and marveling at each other.

“Hey,” Haley said, “this isn’t going to fuck things over between you and Abby, is it?”

Kay shook her head. “As long as we talk about it, we should be okay. Why do you ask?”

Haley shrugged. “She kinda does have the first claim on you, and I’d feel bad if we messed that up.”

“We’ll all grown women,” Maru said, “we can figure all of this out. Later.”

Sleep came quickly to the trio, their dreams full of love and warmth.

*****

Abby sat in bed in a loose night shirt and no pants, reading and listening to some music with headphones on. Her parents had been tearing it up for the past hour and, for once, she wasn’t super interested in jerking off to them. Kay had given her a lot to think about, and she really wanted to talk to her mom about everything that happened between them. She smiled at the thought of Kay, again hoping that she’d at least _watch_ Maru and Haley fuck each other senseless.

She reflected on Maru. She was so happy for her friend now that she and Haley could be out together, and she hoped that meant she’d see more of them socially. She wondered about how they ended up together, it seemed like such an odd pairing, but seeing them together removed any doubts about their being perfect for one another.

She was absentmindedly singing along to the music, a prog metal track from a band Sebastian tipped her off to recently, when there was a knock on her door. She paused the music and took off her headphones before saying “It’s open.” Her mother stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Her hair was pulled back into a rough ponytail and she had wrapped herself in a white silk robe.

“Hey, baby girl,” she said.

“Hi, mom, what’s up?” Abby replied.

“Can we talk about... earlier?” Caroline looked a little nervous.

“Yeah, actually, I was going to ask to talk about it tomorrow but now would be great.” She sat up and made room for her mom, who sat next to her.

“How are you doing?” Abby asked after Caroline got settled.

“I’m... alright,” Caroline responded, “I just... do you hate me for what happened? I mean, the way you rushed out of the house afterwards...”

Abby was shocked at her mom’s question. It had never occurred to her that she might resent her mom for going down on her, but clearly her mom _had_ thought that, and her flight to get Kay’s advice didn’t help at all.

“No!” Abby said, immediately giving Caroline a hug. “It took me by surprise and I had to figure out how I felt about it, so I went to Red Dragon to talk to Kay.”

Caroline nodded, visibly relieved. “I’m sorry, it just hit me so quick, seeing you there and asking me to watch, I just...”

“I know, Mom,” Abby said. “I was so deep in this fantasy with Kay, when you showed up you just became a part of it, I couldn’t stop it. I just don’t want it to change how we feel about each other.”

Caroline teared up a little, she worried she’d ruined the relationship with her daughter, and it sounded like Abby was worried about that as well.

“Oh, Abby, I thought I’d done something terrible and drove you away.”

“Never, Mom,” Abby replied, squeezing her mom tightly, “I’ll be honest, this afternoon was amazing, and I didn’t realize how much I wanted to explore these feelings with you. I thought I’d lose my mother if I did.”

“You will always be my little girl, Abigail. No matter what, I’ll be here for you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I feel the same way.”

They held each other for a while, not saying anything. They were both afraid they had lost this to a moment of lust. Now that they were talking about it, they realized that their familial connection ran much deeper, too deep to be disrupted by a moment of physical intimacy.

“So...” Abby said eventually, “would you want to do that again sometime?”

Caroline looked at her daughter and smiled. “If you’re comfortable doing that, yes, I would.”

“You know, Kay said she’d be down for joining us if you were up for it.” Abby smirked.

“Yeah, I bet she would be. That woman is a menace.” Caroline laughed, leaning against Abby.

Their eyes met, and Abby tentatively reached out to kiss her mom. Their lips met softly, and their eyes closed as the love they felt for each other washed over them in a wave.

“I love you, Mommy,” Abby said.

“I love you, baby girl.” Caroline replied.

Abby became aware of her hardness then, it had crept up on her as she was snuggling with Caroline. She bit her lip lightly, knowing what she was about to ask was likely a bad idea.

“Mommy, would you deepthroat me again?”

Caroline smiled and nodded, lifting her robe off of her shoulders to reveal her nude body.

“Actually,” Caroline said, “I was hoping you’d do something for me first.”

She placed her arm around the back of Abby’s neck and gently guided her daughter towards her breast. Abby gazed into Caroline’s eyes as she took the large nipple into her mouth and sucked. Caroline inhaled through her teeth at the sensation, Abby’s mouth was soft and warm. She reached down and took Abby in her hand, slowly stroking the hard member.

Abby closed her eyes as she kissed her mom’s breast. It was impossibly soft and full, and she nuzzled deeper into it as her mother stroked her cock. She didn’t feel uncontrolled lust but a deep love, a warmth and closeness that suffused them both.

Caroline guided Abby to her other breast for a while, and then asked Abby to lie back. She shifted to kneel between Abby’s legs and took a moment to drool over her cock. Then she slowly lowered her mouth onto Abby’s cock and took it to the root in one smooth motion. She stayed like that for a while, enjoying the feeling of fullness with Abby lodged in her throat.

This blowjob was slow and loving, Caroline drawing Abby’s cock almost entirely out of her mouth before taking it all in again in full strokes. Abby moaned softly as she felt her climax building. This wasn’t frantic, horny sex; Caroline made love to Abby with her mouth, and they both felt amazing.

It wasn’t long before Abby hit her peak. “Mommy, I’m gonna cum!” she whispered, and Caroline once again swallowed Abby’s entire length. Her throat gladly accepted Abby’s cum, and the feeling of her daughter’s length throbbing in her throat gave Caroline a climax of her own. Her eyes teared up at the powerful emotions roiling in her head: her love for Abby, her desire for Abby’s body and especially her beautiful cock, her connection to her little girl.

When Abby began to settle, Caroline slowly sucked her way back up, drawing one last spurt of nectar from Abby’s member before settling back on the bed. She smiled lovingly at her daughter as she swallowed.

“Aww, none for me?” Abby asked in a disappointed tone.

“Nope, this one was all for Mommy,” Caroline replied. “That was nice.”

“SO nice.” They chuckled.

“Alright, we’ll talk tomorrow.” Caroline leaned over to kiss Abby’s forehead, gathered her robe, and departed. Abby drifted off into a deep sleep, her dreams of her mother and her friends, and of a silver-haired, violet-skinned woman that stole her heart.


	6. Letters from Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kay prepares for the harvest; the sisters respond.

Spring 8, Year 1

The morning sun crept over the distant horizon as Kaylia began her day. She had somehow extricated herself from the nude forms of Haley and Maru without waking them, glad to not disturb their much needed rest. The incredible threesome of the previous night had been wonderfully exhausting, and she had fallen asleep with the newly recognized couple under a depthless starry sky. She was a little surprised one of them hadn’t woken them up in the middle of the night for round two, but the girls were evidently sound sleepers. They’d have to be with Haley running that buzzsaw through her nose all night.

Kay took her time watering the crops that morning, joined on her rounds by the farm’s designated calico cat, Luna. She gave the cat a chance to drink from the watering can as she swept the nozzle back and forth over the rapidly maturing potatoes, kale, and parsnips. The cauliflower and green beans looked to be taking their time, relatively anyway, and Kay expected to plant a lot more of the former once the harvest came in on Wednesday.

Most of it, anyway. Kay had sort of fibbed when she’d said it was Wednesday. Most of it was Wednesday, the bulk of the potatoes and kale certainly, but the parsnips would likely be ready tomorrow, and there were more parsnips and potatoes that would follow on Thursday, though far fewer in numbers than would have already been collected. She was glad Robin said the silo would be up by Tuesday, it would be needed.

In discussing the leyline flow restriction plan with Melvyn the wizard, he had lamented not being able to test the system before the big harvest. With the bulk of the parsnips due in the day before, however, Kay figured that would be sufficient to verify their preparations. She felt bad about having to dump it on him suddenly, but he seemed the able sort. It would likely be fine.

Kay had gone to the eastern pond to refill her watering can when she heard a jolly “Hello!” She turned to see Robin arriving from the mountain road, an extension ladder and a large toolbag in tow. She was wearing her usual yellow shirt, leather vest, and green work pants, today augmented by a large leather belt. Kay waved and walked over to meet her by the cabin.

“Good morning!” she greeted the carpenter.

“This is going to be fun!” Robin replied, adjusting the belt and arming herself with the tools of her trade. “I haven’t gotten to work a construction gig in a while.”

“You going to need any help?” Kay asked. She had some experience with earthworks and battlefield construction, and at the very least she knew how to swing a hammer.

“Nah, I got this.” Robin pulled a checklist out. “So, I can see you’ve got plenty of stone, we’re also going to need some clay and copper bars for the roof.” Kay brought Robin over to the miscellaneous materials chest by the side of the cabin. Robin looked through and withdrew some of the copper bars and lumps of clay. “Right on! This will be enough to get started.”

Kay noticed some movement by the greenhouse and observed Maru and Haley sitting up. They had the quilt covering themselves, and Kay figured they must have been woken up by the commotion.

“Hey, you’re up!” Kay called to them, ignoring Maru’s frantic handwaving, and Robin turned to see whom Kay was addressing.

“So _this_ is where you ended up!” Robin said, cackling. “Good morning, Haley!”

“Good morning, Mrs. Wright.” Haley didn’t seem nearly as embarrassed as Maru, but that didn’t seem possible at the moment. Maru went red as a beet and started scrambling for her clothes. Kay had helpfully collected, folded, and placed them by the love nest.

“So, how did they make out last night?” Robin asked Kay in a low voice, waggling her eyebrows at the obvious pun. “I hope they didn’t keep you up too late.”

“It was fine,” Kay replied with a sly grin, “I wore them out before it became a problem.”

“SHUT UP,” Robin responded, slapping Kay’s shoulder, “you didn’t!”

Kay shrugged. “I came out to congratulate them and things... escalated.”

“Fair enough,” Robin said, sounding like she regretted asking. Kay decided to use this opportunity to gather some information.

“I’d be happy to tell you all about it, if you’d like, it might reassure you that Maru is in... _v_ er _y_ good hands.” Kay kept her voice low and only mildly suggestive.

Robin immediately shook her head. “Uh-uh, no way. I’m so happy Maru and Haley are together, but I don’t need to hear any of the gushy details.” The look on Robin’s face confirmed it. Kay felt a bit of relief at that.

“Gushy is right,” Kay responded, getting another smack from Robin.

“You are TERRIBLE,” she said, unable to hold back laughing. “Come on, show me where we’re putting this sumbitch.”

Kay led Robin to a spot near the mountain road. The eventual plan would have a pair of silos, one on either side of the road, to serve as a makeshift gateway. As they marked the site off with stakes and twine, Robin pointedly ignored the flurry of activity in the greenhouse. Maru was quickly throwing her clothes on, using part of a ruined wall for cover. Haley also dressed, though not as frantically.

“Do you know the wizard?” Kay asked, holding the twine as Robin tied it down.

“Never met him,” Robin replied, “my husband refuses to have anything to do with him. ‘Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.’”

“Sounds like Dad, alright,” Maru said, walking over with Haley.

“You headed back?” Robin asked, accepting a hug from her daughter.

“Yeah, don’t want to be late to the lab. Thanks for letting us stay over, Kay!” Maru hugged Kay as well, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Seriously, thanks for everything, I can’t wait to get together again,” she whispered.

Haley also gave Kay a hug, though her kiss was much more involved. “Next time, I’m going to tongue your ass until you cum all over my tits,” she promised. “Goodbye, Mrs. Wright!”

“Bye, girls!” Robin waved as they set off northward, then returned to the task at hand. “So, what about the wizard?”

“He might stop by later, just wanted to warn you ahead of time.”

The two women completed the task quickly, and Kay helped bring over the needed stone to the work site. Robin marveled at Kay’s strength, her toned muscles bulging as she carried the heavy materials over with ease. Her shirt rose as she lifted, revealing a well-defined abdominal area.

“Maybe I should take up farming, I’d love to have abs like those!” Robin smirked.

“It’s a good workout, I’ll give you that.”

Robin chewed on her lip as she started prepping stones for placement. Caroline was right, it wasn’t difficult to see how Kay worked so _fast_. She could see the attraction, Kay was very beautiful without seeming to work at it. Her bright silver hair shone in the light, hanging up and over a red headband. It was impossible not to notice her generous curves, which were perfectly matched to her amazonian stature. She also seemed to exude a quiet confidence about her, evident in the smoothness of her movements and the bearing with which she held herself.

Robin was shaken out of her consideration of Kay by a loud “Meow” at her feet. She looked down to see Kay’s cat looking up at her, curiosity in its eyes.

“Hello there!” she said, “I’m just helping Kay with some construction.”

“Luna,” Kay said in a stern voice, “don’t bother Mrs. Wright.”

“She’s fine,” Robin said, kneeling down to give the cat a few pets. Luna purred appreciatively before trotting off to lay in the shadow of a nearby wood pile, content to supervise as cats do.

They spent the next hour constructing the base of the silo. Kay helped where she could, but Robin clearly had everything well in hand, and Kay eventually excused herself to work on the nearby fields. She picked up her watering can and finished irrigating the soil as they chatted pleasantly.

“Oh!” Robin said. “I wanted to say, that’s a really nice mailbox you put in!”

“Hmm?” Kay responded. _What about the mailbox?_ she thought.

“You have to tell me where you found it, it looks amazing!”

Kay narrowed her eyes. The last she remembered, it was just a simple wooden mailbox with the Republic Postal Service logo on the side. She turned to look at it and nearly lost her grip on the watering can.

The mailbox was where it always was, but instead of a simple wooden box, there was now an ornate dragon’s head. It was painted crimson with gold highlights, its face locked in a perpetual snarl. It was designed to look as though the dragon was roaring when the box was opened. The feature that grabbed Kay’s attention was the emblem on the side: where before it was the simple painted RPS insignia, now, the interior of that design had been replaced with a ring of gemstones. Kay walked over to the box for a closer look. The emblem contained six stones set in a complex patchwork of platinum: amethyst, ruby, emerald, topaz, sapphire, and moonstone; the Mark of the Bladesisters. If she hadn’t been so concerned about how it got here, she would be incredibly pleased with it. It looked fucking _righteous_ _._

Kay opened the box and found a large envelope, addressed to her in a familiar script. _Kaylia Gardner, Red Dragon Farm, Pelican Town._ The envelope was sealed in wax, the Mark stamped in its center.

“Get some mail?” Robin asked.

“Yeah,” Kay replied. “You okay on your own for a bit?”

“Absolutely!”

Kay went inside the cabin, set the envelope down on the table, sat down in one of the chairs, and stared at it. Astria had clearly upgraded her mailbox, likely to facilitate easier communication. She was surprised her normally stoic elder sister would have gone to so much trouble. Something like that would have been Zoria’s idea, if she had been around.

Slowly, Kay eventually broke the seal and dumped the envelope’s contents out on the table. There was a letter and five smaller envelopes, each sealed with the personal marks of her sisters. She picked up the loose letter first and began to read.

*****

_Kaylia,_

_I have reviewed the materials supplied by Sieur Rasmodius with some interest. Your collective theories about the magical happenings in the valley appear sound, and I have sent my initial thoughts and findings directly to your colleague; I doubt you would make any useful sense of them, and it allowed me to also forward some additional texts I believe he will find of inestimable value in his own studies. It is clear he is young and somewhat ill-trained for the needs of his posting, but eager and willing to take instruction. Clearly, not an Imperially-trained wizard._

_I have instructed him to brief you on further steps as soon as is convenient, I expect when he arrives to bind the new construction into the leyline network. Please give him your undivided attention when he does so; I thank the Goddess you take such briefings seriously, unlike your sisters._

_I apologize for replacing your mailbox without your permission, but urgency trumped propriety. I trust you will find it suitable to your needs and to your ego, such as it is._

_Please find enclosed items of personal correspondence. You may find (most of) them to be of some small comfort. I would encourage you to respond when convenience and ability suit._

_With warmest regards,_

_Astria I, Fateweaver_

_By Grace of the Goddess, Empress of Gotoro, Sorceress of the Eighth Realm of Ephiseus, Seeker of the Hidden Ways, Mistress Intelligencer of the Empire, First of the Bladesisters, Wielder of the Pillar of the Cosmos, Eternal Guardian of the People_

_P.S.: I recommend saving Zoria’s letter until last, for reasons that will appear._

*****

Kay read the letter slowly, almost hearing Astria’s voice reading the words aloud. Her dry humor was on display, and it made sense that she would keep this overview free of any non-essential information. Kay was glad that Astria thought so highly of Melvyn, given the honorific, and she was sure the young wizard would be overjoyed to hear back directly. It took a moment for Kay to wrap her head around the signature. She got that most of it was flexing for Melvyn’s benefit, but _Empress?_ Kay couldn’t wait to read Astria’s personal letter, she would likely explain everything.

The post script took Kay’s breath away. A letter from Zoria. There it was on the table, sealed in grey wax with the image of the comedy and tragedy mask. Had she returned? Was Astria able to resume contact? Had Astria _always_ had contact? Kay’s mind reeled with the implications. She wasn’t ready for this yet, thankful for a list of errands as a distraction.

Kay exited the cabin. The occasional clang of metal on stone filled the air as Robin continued her construction. The ravens, Zeus and Apollo, were cawing at each other over by the cauliflower patch, another of their periodic squabbles. Far-off insects and birds contributed to a quiet symphony all around her, and Kay closed her eyes to lose herself in it for a moment. She felt the gentle thrum of life, pulsing in time with her breathing, and felt her anxiety fade. She was home, she was safe.

Kay broke her reverie and called out to Robin. “Hey, I’m headed for Pierre’s, you need anything?” She turned around the corner of the cabin to see Robin a few steps up on her deployed ladder. The silo was already about 6 feet tall, and Robin was deftly placing and securing stones in a steady rhythm.

“Oh! Yeah, hold on!” Robin slid down the ladder and went to her toolbag. She withdrew a long metal screw and walked it over to Kay, handing it and a small money pouch to the farmer. “I need more masonry screws like that one. Show it to Pierre, he’ll know what I need.”

“Sure thing.” Kay pocketed the items and headed off into town.

*****

As Kay headed towards Pierre’s, she heard a distinctive “Yoo-hoo!” over to her right. Across the square, kneeling by the large flower box by the Stardrop Saloon, a woman with white hair in a red dress was waving at Kay. She figured this was George Mullner’s wife, Evelyn, and walked over to see what was up.

“Hello, Mrs. Mullner,” Kay said as she approached.

“Well, hello, young lady!” She smiled broadly at Kay. “I wonder, can you hand me the trowel? It’s back there somewhere,” gesturing behind her. Kay saw the tool, picked it up, and gave it to Evelyn. “Thank you, dear,” she said. “I’d have gotten it myself, but it takes a bit of planning to get up off the ground at this age.”

“Do you need a hand?” Kay asked. Evelyn waved her away.

“No no, I’m all set now. You’re Miss Gardner, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Yoba, you’re a tall drink of water. No surprise, that Kimmy Gardner was a skyscraper herself.” She continued digging and planting flower bulbs as they talked, her gardening skill plainly evident. “George said you helped out the other night. Did that ‘bear’ give you any trouble?”

“No, he was very conciliatory.” Kay wondered if Evelyn suspected the real cause of the disturbance. She didn’t have long to wait to find out.

“It’s such a shame, I pray for that man, but he seems happy enough off in the mountains.”

Kay smiled. “It sounds like you knew my grandparents?”

Evelyn looked around before waving Kay closer. “Oh yes, we were close to Dan and Kimmy. _Quite_ close, if you take my meaning,” she said with a conspiratorial wink.

“No!” Kay gasped, stifling a laugh. She had the letters proving they could be _very_ horny, but they’d never mentioned any names in the context of their ‘fun with friends’.

“I know you young folk don’t like hearing about your elders getting frisky, by my George loved watching me climb that woman like a scratching post.”

“I’m sure Pops appreciated it, too.” The nickname suggested itself randomly, and Kay thought it sounded appropriate.

“You can bet on it. We had so much fun together, but it broke everyone’s heart when Sarah passed in that accident. Things were never the same afterwards.” Evelyn pulled a cloth from one of her pockets and blew her nose. Kay looked on sympathetically, ignoring the tiny voice in her head clamoring for attention.

“But that’s enough navel-gazing, tell me, how is the farm coming along?”

“Slowly but surely,” Kay responded as Evelyn perked up. “I have a harvest coming in soon, more than just parsnips this time.”

“That’s great news, dear!” Evelyn held out her hands, and Kay helped the lady to her feet. “Thank you for giving an old lady a chance to prattle for a while.”

“It’s no trouble, ma’am. I’d love to ask you about Pops and Gramma sometime, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course! And call me Eve, no need to stand on ceremony, I’m too old to beat around the bush.”

Kay laughed. “Only if you call me Kay.”

“Sold. Stop by sometime for tea. If it won’t turn your stomach, I’ve got a few tales about your folks that’ll spin your top.”

“I’ll hold you to that. Take care!”

They parted, Evelyn returning home and Kay heading for the store. The tiny voice got her attention then. _I didn’t know their daughter’s name,_ she thought, _didn’t they tell me?_ She resolved to look through her correspondence, she couldn’t believe she would forget such an important detail. _Another mystery to consider..._

*****  
  
“Salut, Pierre!” Kay greeted the shopkeeper as she approached the counter. The store was mostly empty apart from Gus stocking up for the day’s cooking at the tavern.

“Bonjour, bonjour, Kay! Comment allez-vous?” Pierre looked especially cheerful, though Kay couldn’t tell if it was from engaging in his favorite language or from getting laid again.

“Très bien, et toi?”

“Superbe! Que puis-je faire pour vous?”

Kay removed the screw and money from her pocket. “Robin needs a batch of these, I presume for the silo but she might just be stocking up.”

Pierre nodded, counting the coins out of the purse before heading to the shelf. He was humming a merry tune, and Kay realized she was whistling along before she recognized it.

“In a merry mood today, Miss Gardner?” Pierre asked, returning with an appropriate package of masonry screws. _I guess we’re doing this_ , Kay thought before replying appropriately, in song.

_“Tis your delight sir, catching fire  
From one man to the next!”_

Pierre picked up the tune, and Kay rejoined him where appropriate. He was certainly game, though he could use some practice.

_“Tis true sir, love can still inspire  
The blood to pound the heartly pyre!  
What more? (What more?) can man require  
Than love sir!”_

“You two are a menace,” Gus said, arranging his purchases on the counter.

“Come on, Gus,” Pierre cajoled, accepting the barkeeper’s payment, “surely you can appreciate a bit of musical theater?”

“I can, when you aren’t doing your best to murder it.” Gus turned to Kay. “Your voice is lovely, but for Yoba’s sake, find a better duet partner.” He collected his purchases and bid the pair good day. Kay chuckled before turning back to Pierre.

“About the harvest.”

“Nothing bad, I hope?” Pierre asked, a flash of concern crossing his face.

“Oh, no nothing like that, round one starts tomorrow. I realized it would be a multi-day affair.”

“Excellent! I’ll get the local produce bins ready!” He confirmed that the store would still be closed on Wednesday, as usual, but Kay could put the harvest in the collection bin and he’d leave the proceeds in her mailbox.

Abigail walked in at that point, setting down a large box of pasta packets on the counter before wrapping Kay in her arms and kissing her. “Mmm, good morning!” Abby said.

“Hi,” Kay replied, a little love drunk. Pierre grumbled next to her, and Abby sighed.

“Good morning, father,” she said formally. Pierre gave a harrumph and pointedly turned away from the pair. Kay raised an eyebrow.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“Dad’s not talking to me.” Abby said, a little forlorn.

“Miss Gardner, please tell my daughter that I do not speak to homewreckers.”

_Oh shit,_ Kay thought. She gave Abby a concerned look as they parted.

“We told him everything this morning.”

“Oh, boy,” Kay said. “I mean, it’s good that you’re... talking?”

Kay was distracted by Caroline gliding into the shop, giving a neat twirl as she approached Pierre.

“Husband,” she said, drawing his face to hers and planting a deep kiss. The pair moaned a little as they leaned into it. Caroline then rounded the counter to address Abby. “Daughter,” she said, drawing Abby’s face to hers and planting a similar deep kiss. She saw Abby reach up to palm Caroline’s breast as they moaned into each others’ mouths. When they parted, Caroline turned to Kay, considering what to do for a moment before waving and whirling back to whence she came.

Abby returned to Kay’s arms as Kay gave the pair of them her third most irritated glare. “You’re fine.”

Pierre picked up the box of pasta and took it to the appropriate shelf, resuming his previous humming. Abby kissed Kay again. “We’re not gonna spit roast her together, but we’re going to take things as they come.”

“Is that wise?” Kay asked, her concerns about magical interference still at the front of her mind.

“We’ll know soon enough.” Abby held up a lock of green hair. “I told her about getting a magical checkup, just to be safe.”

Kay accepted the lock and stowed it away safely. “I’ll give them to Mel when he comes by.”

“You need me right away, Dad?” Abby asked, and Pierre waved her off. Abby pulled Kay the front of the store and back into the shelves.

“So? How’d it go last night?”

“How did what go?” Kay asked. She figured the girls had passed each other, but she wanted to keep Abby in suspense.

“You know what! Maru and Haley! What happened?”

“They wanted to celebrate going public, I figured they could use some privacy.”

Abby looked genuinely disappointed. “You didn’t even peek a little?”

Kay smirked. “Actually, yeah, I had to when I realized they were getting louder on purpose.”

“They didn’t!” Abby said, pulling Kay into a close embrace. “What else happened?”

“I went out to congratulate them,” Kay whispered, “and they invited me to stay.” She rubbed up against Abby’s cock, feeling it harden through their pants.

“Goddess, what happened? Please, I need to know!” Abby’s arousal was apparent as she started grinding against Kay.

“We made out a bit, I played with Maru’s tits a bit, Haley sucked on my tits and stroked me a bit...” Kay enjoyed drawing the play-by-play out.

“W-what happened?” Abby asked breathlessly.

“Maru sucked my cock while Haley sat on my face and we all came together. Goddess, I loved eating her ass.”

Abby shuddered through a small orgasm, immediately regretting not staying to watch the previous night. “That’s so hot, now I _really_ wish I stuck around,” she moaned quietly. Kay took the opportunity to kiss her, their tongues dancing wildly as Abby’s orgasm pulsed through her body. They continued kissing as it receded, becoming softer and more intimate.

“I thought you said you weren’t an ass woman,” Abby said eventually.

“I said I don’t want to fuck a guy in the ass,” Kay replied, “but I should have clarified that I enjoy butt-play otherwise. I apologize for the omission, and I promise I’ll let you know when Haley wants to return the favor.”

Abby squeezed Kay’s butt and smiled. “I would love to watch that.”

Kay leaned down to kiss Abby’s neck. “I will also state that I personally am available for any ass-related activities you would care to indulge in.”

They parted quickly as the door chime rang. Kay turned to see Leah enter the store and greet Pierre. _That’s convenient_ , she thought as she walked over.

“Hi, Kay!” Leah greeted her with a smile.

“How are you feeling today?” Kay asked the svelte artist. The previous day’s strain had taken a bit out of Leah, and that was without knowing the actual causes for it.

“Much better, thank you,” she replied, “I wanted to ask Mrs. Chandler how she makes that iced green tea, it was so good!” Kay nodded, the thermos Caroline had sent over was far superior to the pot Kay had brewed later in the day.

“Did you have any plans later? I wanted to talk to you about something, and maybe give you a chance to finish your sketches?”

Leah nodded. “Yeah, that would be great! What did you want to talk about?”

“It’ll keep. Come on by whenever.” Kay waved to everyone and took her leave. Melvyn would probably be at the farm by now, and they had some work to do.

*****

Robin watched the weirdo in the black robes wander around the farm, inspecting random objects with a calm intensity. She hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting the valley’s resident wizard, and he seemed rather focused if awkward and kind of gawky-looking. That struck her as very odd: she was under the impression that the wizard had been in the valley long before her family had moved there, and yet this callow youth couldn’t be more than 25, certainly younger than Maru. She noticed that Luna had trotted over almost immediately and was now perched around the young man’s shoulders, again playing supervisor as cats did.

The silo was half-finished by that point, and Robin had a commanding view of the farm from up on the ladder. She was impressed with how much Kay had cleaned up already, the entire northern half of the farm clean and orderly apart from a number of larger boulders and stumps and a tight copse in the back corner. The southern half was still a little rough and tumble, but Kay had cleared a path through to the forest road.

There were a number of crops laid out in front of the cabin, and they looked about ready for harvest. If they were anything like parsnips from a few days ago, then Kay was well on her way, indeed. In fact, there she was, walking along Red Dragon Road with the requested box of screws. The wizard noticed her as well and hustled over.

“Hey!” Melvyn said, keeping his voice low. “I don’t know what happened last night, but you better keep your eyes open. That extra energy is going to cause some issues.”

“I know,” Kay said sheepishly. “But when two insanely hot naked girls ask you to join them, you don’t say no. I mean, _you_ would, and that’s fine, but you take my meaning.” She cocked her head as she wondered. “Do you think I’m being affected by all of this? I certainly wasn’t expecting to be giving rimjobs so soon, if at all.”

Melvyn shook his head, laughing. “We can check, you know what I’d need. That’s what, three attractive young women now? We’d better get these wards up quick or we’re fucked. Uh, figuratively speaking, especially in my case.”

“It’s gotta be something in the water.” Kay replied. She removed the lock of Caroline’s hair from her pocket and handed it over. “This is mom’s, I’ve got daughter’s in the house and I can give you some of mine, come on.” They turned to go in as Robin walked up.

“You got the screws?” she asked, and Kay handed the box over.

“All set. Robin Wright, may I introduce Melvyn Rasmodius.” Melvyn doffed his hat with a flourish and started to bow before a concerned “mew” from his shoulder arrested his movement.

“At your service, madam.” Kay snickered as Robin, not knowing what else to do, curtsied.

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Rasmodius.”

“Oh, Melvyn, please. Mr. Rasmodius is my father.”

That got a laugh from the carpenter. “Sure thing.”

Kay intended to explain Melvyn’s presence, but he continued before she had a chance to cut in. “I’d like to lay in a few enchantments on the silo, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Robin cocked her head. “Oh? What for?”

“Nothing nefarious, I assure you! They’re just a few things I’ve been working on, extreme weatherproofing, aging resistance, that sort of thing. Kay is graciously allowing me to test them out on the new silo. If they function properly, it’ll be standing for a long time.”

Robin huffed a little. “Hey, my construction methods are 100% sound, that silo won’t need any help standing for years when I’m done!”

Melvyn raised his hands, completely mortified. “Oh no! I don’t mean to imply I thought it would be shoddy construction! I meant that, if these spells do what I hope they will, it’ll be standing for _centuries_.”

Robin’s eyes widened in shock. She was suddenly _very_ interested in the young man’s work. “Would you mind if I observed you work?” she asked. His face brightened.

“Not at all!”

“Mel?” Kay asked, tilting her head towards the cabin.

“Sorry! We have a few things to sort out before I get started.” Melvyn bowed again as Kay escorted him inside. Robin returned to the silo and started prepping more building materials. If Melvyn could do what he claimed, he could help shore up the entire town. She started thinking about how to win him over as she mixed another batch of mortar.

*****

Kay looked through the massive binder, unable to make sense of anything within it. Astria had come through, providing a detailed analysis of the valley’s intricate leyline network and the energy traveling throughout. Melvyn was incredibly excited to be collaborating with the Fateweaver _herself_ , she was so smart and perceptive. Kay rolled her eyes as he gushed, holding up a hand to forestall further gushing.

“What does this all mean? Can you dumb it down for me?”

“No, and you should be ashamed to even ask.” Melvyn smirked as he examined the lock of Abigail’s hair with a pair of presumably enchanted spectacles. They were delicate things, with a multitude of variously-sized lenses on swing arms, all held together with a thin frame of gold.

“...Astria told you to say that.”

“She did, yes.” Melvyn grinned, clearly enjoying himself. He flipped lenses up and down as he continued examining the purple locks.

“Do it anyway.” Kay sighed.

What followed was a detailed analysis of why they didn’t know anything more than they already did. Astria did her best, but to truly understand what was happening, she would need to come to them, and that wouldn’t be possible anytime soon. Kay was frustrated that she might have blown her cover to her sisters needlessly, and said as much.

“It’s not all bad news,” Melvyn interjected. “Astria figured out why I couldn’t teleport into the farm! That’s more than we knew yesterday.”

Kay remembered Melvyn saying something to that effect the day before, when he’d run all the way from his tower to the farm. “Okay, what’s that about.”

Melvyn made some notes as he set aside Abby’s hair and picked up Caroline’s. “There’s an immensely powerful binding on the farm designed to protect it against magical intrusion, Astria said she’s never seen its like. It’s apparently hundreds of years old, and it’s designed to use a little bit of the energy the farm produces to sustain itself.”

“And since no one’s been working the farm for years, it weakened enough to let some spectral gatecrashers in, but not enough to let you in.” Kay was glad she could follow along, at least.

“Almost. There’s nothing stopping them from just floating in, or hitching a ride with someone; flying under the radar, as it were.”

“Did Astria say if we could fix it?” Kay was getting a headache from all of this.

Melvyn grinned again. “She sure did. That’s what I’ve been doing since I got here. I’ve been linking the wards I put in yesterday to the overall binding field, they’ll reinforce the defense grid until it has a chance to repair itself, then they’ll boost the efficacy. The best part is, when I loop in the silo, the grid will be completely sealed. It’ll act like a security screen for paranormal infiltrators.”

“But you still won’t be able to zap yourself inside?”

“Yeah, but it’s not a big deal. I teleport to just outside the farm, then I can walk in like everybody else.” He made some more notes, then turned to Kay. “Alright, your turn.”

Kay pulled off her headband, causing her silver hair to fall down to her shoulders. She was pretty impressed it had grown back so quickly. She held out a strand for Melvyn to snip with a pair of silver nail scissors he’d produced from about his person, then pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

“Yow!” Melvyn winced as he began examining Kay’s lock of hair. He adjusted the lenses on his glasses and turned some small knobs on the rims, the lenses darkening in response. Kay was an innately magical being, so obviously her sample would be brighter than the sun, almost.

While he worked, Melvyn glanced at the unopened letters next to him on the table. He’d noticed Kay actively avoiding looking at them as they talked.

“When are you going to read them?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” Kay responded. Melvyn could tell she was terrified of what they might contain.

“I’m sure they all still care about you a lot.” He wanted to mention some of the more personal items in the letter he received from Astria, but he honored the sorceress’s request to keep quiet.

“I know,” Kay sighed, “I just need a bit.”

Melvyn nodded. “Sure.” He placed the three locks of hair in a small pouch, then gathered up the binder and other documents before heading out. “So, my aura reading is still a little underdeveloped, but everything looks okay so far. I’ll know more once I run some rituals back at the tower, I’ll have something for you later today.” He reached out to lay a hand on Kay’s shoulder. “You going to be okay?”

She nodded, placing her hand on top of Melvyn’s. “I think so. Leah’s coming over.”

“Alright. I’ll be laying in the wards if you need me.”

“Thanks, Mel.” Kay sat on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to decide if she needed to do something or take a nap. A few minutes later, when Luna came in to see what her mistress was up to, she climbed into the bed and curled up in Kay’s lap, content to cat-nap along with Kay.

*****

Robin took a swig of her soda, utterly enthralled by Melvyn’s preparations on the silo. She had been making excellent progress all morning, and she had postponed lunch to keep her momentum going. When the wizard asked if she could stop for a bit to let him proceed with his magicking, her stomach agreed before she could. Currently, he was hovering about three feet off the ground on some kind of platform, etching runes with a small hammer and chisel into one of the larger rocks.

“What exactly are you doing?” she asked, taking a bite from her ham sandwich. For some reason (likely her ravenous hunger), the lunch she’d packed was especially tasty today.

Melvyn finished the rune-word and levitated up and counterclockwise around the silo to start another. “These runes describe the nature of the protections I’m placing on the building. There will be eight total: two on roughly each third of the main building, and two more on the roof. Once they’re all laid in, I gather up some arcane energy and bind the whole business together. The runes then shape that energy into the effects we desire.”

“How are you doing to put them on the roof?” Robin asked. “You might end up punching a hole through the copper sheeting with that chisel.”

Melvyn chuckled. “I’ve got some metal runes, a rivet gun, and some high-grade epoxy. That ought to do, you think?”

Robin nodded. “Yeah, as long as the holes you punch for the rivets get properly sealed.”

“Would you want to help with that part? I’m not exactly a handy sort of man.”

“Do I get to ride on that weird disc thing?”

“Sure, if I can get a bite of that sandwich.” Melvyn had also forgotten about lunch.

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” _Working with wizards is kind of fun_ , Robin thought.

*****

_Kaylia was on all fours, leaning back into Zoria’s face as her sister devoured her ass. Z stroked Kay’s cock at the same time, establishing a steady rhythm as she drove her tongue into Kay’s cute little star. The sensation was amazing, and Kay was driven further into her lust knowing that Z was just as turned on giving this oral attention as Kay was receiving it._

_“Goddess, Z, I’m gonna cum so hard for you,” Kay moaned. She heard Z laugh behind her._

_“That’s the point, dear sister,’ Z replied, “I want a nice, big load from you.” She flattened her tongue against Kay’s ass, drawing it back and forth along the sensitive opening before swirling the tip around it. Kay turned and looked into Z’s smiling grey eyes, moaning at the sexy display._

_“Z, I can’t hold it much longer...”_

_Zoria flipped onto her back and slid her face underneath Kay’s cock. “That’s it, sister, drown me.” She opened her mouth wide as she aimed Kay’s member at her face. With a scream, Kay unloaded all over her beautiful sister, cum splashing into her mouth and against her cheeks, lips, chin, nose, eyes, and hair. Kay thought she could feel her balls shrink a little as they were completely drained by Z’s talented hand. Z writhed in pleasure as the barest touch of a finger against her clit triggered her own orgasm, primed as she was by the giant mess Kay was making of her face. As the tide started to fade, Z lifted her head up to suck the remaining spunk out of Kay’s cock, Kay’s hips shifting with the sensation._

_Kay fell on her back, completely sated, as Z giggled. She started scooping Kay’s cum from her face and alternating swallowing it herself and feeding it to her sister. As Kay got her breath back, she turned to help directly, licking her sweet essence from Z’s face before kissing her to share it._

_“You can do that whenever you want,” Kay said._

_“I plan to,” Z smirked. They kissed and cuddled in their afterglow._

_“Hey,” Z said eventually, “you know what I’m looking forward to?”_

_“What?” Kay asked._

_“I cannot wait to watch you and Abby sucking each other’s cocks while I fuck you.”_

Kay awoke with a start, Zoria’s confession knocking her out of the dream completely. She noticed how heavily she was breathing and closed her eyes, trying to calm down. This dream felt different from others or from her own idle fantasizing, more substantial. She felt a weight in her lap and looked down to see Luna, curled up and looking back at her. “Mrrow?” the cat inquired, and Kay smiled before giving Luna pets.

“I’m okay, kitty, but thank you.” She received warm purrs in return, Luna settling back down to again nest in Kay’s lap.

Kay’s thoughts returned to Zoria until a rapid tattoo against the door roused her from her reverie. Luna jumped up and sat upright on the table, awaiting the guest politely. Kay shook her head at the cat as she got up to open the door.

“Hi!” Leah greeted her brightly.

“Hey,” Kay replied, smiling at the young artist. Leah returned the smile until her eyes glanced downward, widening in shock.

“Uh, do you need to take care of something?” she said. Kay followed her gaze down; she was wearing her armor’s nanoweave as a pair of leggings, and they did nothing to hide the outline of Kay’s erection.

“Oh, geez!” Kay shut the door in Leah’s face, and she could hear Kay scrambling to put on real pants behind the door. After a moment, Kay reopened the door, wearing a pair of blue jeans. “I am so sorry about that.”

Leah giggled. “Is that what you wanted to talk about?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. She was intrigued that Kay had such... equipment, but somehow, she wasn’t surprised.

“Yes and no.” Kay responded. From the look on her face, she had more serious topics on her mind. Leah set her bag down just inside the cabin.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

*****

Once she started talking to Leah about the truth of things, Kay found it easier to keep talking. It took most of an hour to cover everything, and the pair walked deep into Cindersap Forest as they talked. Leah listened politely, asking questions occasionally, but Kay couldn’t get a read on her.

They made it back around to the forest road as Kay described the events of the past week, including that Leah’s ‘dream’ was completely real. Kay apologized for lying about her identity, her reasons for coming to Pelican Town, and for covering up the truth of Leah’s fainting spell. Leah deserved to know the truth, and Kay understood if Leah was disinclined to forgive her for the deception.

Leah could tell that Kay was sincere in her apology and also incredibly nervous about the state of their relationship. Yes, it hurt that Kay didn’t trust Leah with the truth of things upfront, but it was perfectly understandable given that truth. She had an idea on how to allay Kay’s fears while also bringing them closer, and decided now was the time for it.

“Thank you for telling me all this,” she started, “and for trusting me enough to tell it. Will you trust me enough to do something for me?”

“Of course,” Kay said, sniffling a little. She was trying not to break down and beg Leah’s forgiveness, she deserved a little more dignity than that.

“Let’s go back to your place, first.” She took Kay’s hand in hers and they started up the road back to the farm. They remained silent all the way back, and Kay let Leah enter ahead of her.

“Would you mind sitting in the bed?” Leah asked. Kay complied, sitting with her back against the wall. “So, this is something my ex and I would do when we were stressed and needed to relax. We’d normally put some music on, too, but this is fine.” She started to take her vest and shirt off, revealing a pretty green lace bra containing her chest (generous C cups from the look of them, Kay thought just before reason asserted itself).

“Uh...” Kay said, a little confused.

Leah smiled. “Since we’re being honest with each other, I’m not interested in a super sexual or romantic relationship with you. I really enjoy our friendship, and I would like us to be close friends. I haven’t had someone I could talk to about a lot of things, and I think we’d both like to be that person for each other, right?”

Kay started to tear up and nodded wordlessly. Leah nodded.

“Alright then!” Leah said. She reached behind her, unhooked the clasp on the bra, and let it fall to the floor. Her breasts sat high and firm, topped with cute pink nipples. “Take your top off.”

Kay was thoroughly confused but complied, lifting her shirt and dispelling the nanoweave bra with a thought. Her nipples reacted to the cool air, firming up. Once her chest was bare, Leah climbed into the bed and laid her head in Kay’s lap, facing up. Kay’s right boob rested comically on Leah’s face.

“Now, close your eyes and just relax.” Leah guided the dark purple nipple in front of her to her mouth and started gently sucking on it. Kay leaned her head against the wall, closed her eyes, and started to let go of her anxiety.

They stayed like this for a while, Leah nursing at Kay’s soft breast and holding Kay’s hand. Kay eventually started stroking Leah’s orange hair with her other hand. Leah was absolutely right; after a while, Kay felt completely relaxed and content. She was surprised she hadn’t become aroused at what would otherwise be a very lewd act, but she supposed the “close your eyes and relax” part framed the exercise as one of comfort rather than arousal.

Leah was also surprised at how much she had grown to care for Kay in such a short time. She had been worried that getting her lips on Kay’s epic bosom might turn sexual before long, but Leah’s genuine love for Kay prevented any such awkward feelings. She smirked inwardly; it almost always did when she did this with Kel. Granted, Kel’s much smaller breasts usually required a bit more maneuvering, which led to more immediate contact, which led to more amorous activity. This was comforting and relaxing in a way Leah wasn’t expecting. Especially when Kay started singing.

_“And you don’t seem to understand  
A shame you seemed an honest man  
And all the fears you hold so dear  
Will turn to whisper in your ear  
And you know what they say might hurt you  
And you know that it means so much  
And you don’t even feel a thing  
I am falling  
I am fading  
I have lost it all”_

It started quietly, almost as though Kay were singing Leah to sleep. Her voice was beautiful, clear and ethereal, and Leah felt the power of her emotions in the words and tone. In that moment, Kay opened her heart and soul to Leah, revealing a proud but damaged, lonely woman. Leah didn’t alter the intensity of her sucking, but reached around to wrap her arm around Kay, increasing the skin-to-skin contact between them.

Kay didn’t know why she started to sing, but it felt good. It was a song that stuck with her through the years, the theme from an anime she and Zoria watched together during a romantic weekend away from the Imperial capitol. She remembered snuggling under thick blankets in the dark and watching the trippy series, the two of them discussing the philosophical quandaries presented long after they’d finished it. This was the first time she’d felt that level of closeness with anyone in a very long time, and she couldn’t help but smile as she finished the song.

Kay and Leah locked eyes when she finished singing, and Kay immediately started laughing: the bottom two-thirds of Leah’s face was obscured by Kay’s giant boob, and it looked ridiculous. Leah released Kay’s nipple to join in, and the two women held on to each other as they devolved into hysterical cackling. They hugged as the laughing subsided, and Kay kissed Leah lightly on the nose.

“Thank you, that was perfect,” she said. Leah nodded.

“Thank _you_ , you have a beautiful singing voice,” the redhead replied.

“Well,” Kay said, “I guess this means we’re sisters now.” Leah giggled.

“Oh, man, I’ve always wanted a huge tiddy elf sister!” She stopped to think for a moment. “Wait, that doesn’t mean you want to sleep with me, does it?”

Kay laughed. “Nah, that’s specific to the one sister, mostly. Besides, I like the idea of having a normal sisterly relationship for once.”

“Kay, I would be honored to be your platonic little sister.” Leah said.

“Thank you,” Kay replied, and they hugged again.

“HEY, GIVE ME BACK MY CALIPERS, YOU BLACK BUZZARD!” came a shout from outside. Kay and Leah looked at each other before scrambling out of the bed to put their tops back on. Kay finished first and opened the door to look outside.

Melvyn was currently chasing Apollo the raven around the crops. The large bird had a set of finely-wrought calipers in its beak and was doing its level best to keep them away from the aggrieved wizard. Zeus remained on his scarecrow perch, glancing at Kay and Leah and dropping his head in exasperation.

“Come on!” Melvyn cried, “it took me months to calibrate those properly! GET BACK HERE!”

Leah joined Kay at the door, and they both heard hysterical laughter somewhere off to their right. Robin was clearly enjoying the comical display, though possibly too much; there was a loud clang and a sudden shout of “WhoooOOOAH!”

Kay blitzed around the corner of the house, and time seemed to slow as she evaluated the scene. Robin had lost her balance at the top of the ladder and was currently falling towards the ground. Kay had calculated the appropriate angle and force and leapt, arms outstretched to catch the falling carpenter. Her timing was perfect, and Robin slid comfortably into Kay’s arms as Kay landed, sliding to a stop by Luna’s water bowl.

As the dust began to settle, Robin found herself cradled in powerful arms. She looked up to see Kay’s face, looking at her in concern.

“Are you alright?” she asked. Without thinking, Robin pulled Kay’s face down for an energetic kiss. It lasted a few seconds, and Robin pulled back looking mortified.

“Yes! I’m okay! Wow, sorry, I don’t know why I did that,” she stared babbling. Kay shushed her.

“It’s okay, you needed the stress valve.” Kay stood up and carefully placed Robin on her feet. The carpenter brushed herself off and collected the tools she dropped in the fall.

“Well, I needed to come down anyway,” she said, trying desperately to play casual, “take a look! Not a bad job if I say so myself!”

The silo was finished, capped with a gleaming copper roof. It was a fine building, and Kay marveled at the craftsmanship.

“I thought you’d be working through the night!” Kay said.

“Me, too, but something about this project really got me motoring! Thanks for having me out, we absolutely need to do this again!” She started collecting the rest of her gear as Kay shot Melvyn a questioning look. The wizard shrugged.

“You need anything else?” Kay asked as Robin zipped up her toolbag.

“I should be good! Um,” she said, getting close to Kay, “thank you for saving my life.”

Kay tried to play it off. “I’m sure you would have been fine.”

“No, seriously, you really saved my bacon.” She wrapped her arms around Kay and planted a deep, passionate kiss, her tongue teasing Kay’s lips a little before parting from her. “Let me know how I can make it up to you sometime.” With that, she grabbed her tools and ladder and headed up the mountain road to home.

Leah and Melvyn walked over to Kay and watched Robin leave. Kay was utterly confused.

“It was a good save,” Leah remarked, “I probably would have reacted the exact same way.”

“Well, yeah, it was the most efficient way-” Leah cut Kay’s explanation off.

“I mean if I was in Robin’s place. I’m no superhero.”

Melvyn whistled. “You aren’t _actively_ trying to bed everyone in town, right?”

Kay gave Melvyn the side-eye. “It was stress relief! That happens in tense situations like that! I doubt she’s going straight home to ask Demetrius for a hall pass.”

“Ah.” Melvyn replied, before blinking and turning to Kay. “Hall pass?”

“Don’t you have some tests to run?” Kay asked.

“I sure do. You pulling those parsnips tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ll wait for you.”

“Thanks. I think we’ll be glad of the bench test.”

As Melvyn turned to leave, Apollo appeared with the stolen calipers, gingerly placing them in front of the wizard and bowing its head in humility. Melvyn sighed, bent over to pick up the tool, then begrudgingly stroked the raven’s plumage. Apollo chirped happily before hopping off.

“Aww! You made a friend!” Leah said.

“Yeah, yeah.” Melvyn grumbled as he headed south. Leah turned to Kay.

“Dinner?” she asked. Kay nodded.

“Can we bring it back here?” Kay asked. “I want to go through the rest of the mail.”

*****

Demetrius was wondering about what to make for dinner when Robin entered the kitchen, spun the tall black man around, and pulled him in to a passionate kiss. He was surprised but grateful, and wrapped his arms around his wife to lift her up into a bear hug.

“Well!” he said as they parted, “Someone had a good day!”

“You don’t know the half of it!” Robin said, before lowering her voice. “I am going to ravage you after dinner, just so you know.”

Demetrius smiled broadly. “Of course, my body is at your disposal, madam. But, ah, if you don’t mind, may I ask what’s gotten into you?”

Robin smiled. “You may, and I’ll tell you all about it later, I promise, but right now, _I_ want to ask about turning in one of my hall passes.”

Demetrius felt his jaw drop before giving Robin an intrigued look, eyebrow raised. “Fascinating...”

*****

Kay and Leah walked into the Stardrop Saloon and approached the bar. It was fairly quiet; Mondays were usually the slow night of the week. Gus and Emily were chatting over menus behind the bar, and regulars Pam and Shane were in their usual places, Pam at the end of the bar and Shane by the fireplace. Over in the corner, however, Maru and Haley were having a quiet dinner and the time of their lives. Kay smiled, she was excited to see the couple enjoying themselves in public.

“You should go say hi,” Leah said, smirking.

“Absolutely not,” Kay replied, “this is their first actual date. Besides, I’ve already injected myself into their relationship enough for now, let them enjoy each other’s company _alone_.” Kay saw the girls clink glasses, Haley drinking what looked like a cosmopolitan and Maru drinking a bright green beverage out of a highball glass. Kay’s eyes locked on Maru’s drink, she knew that particular shade of nuclear green.

Gus eventually noticed the pair at the bar and walked over. “Ladies! What can I get you?”

“Could we get some cheeseburgers to go?” Leah asked. Gus nodded.

“Sure thing, coming right up!” He turned to the griddle and set about prepping the burgers.

“Hey Gus,” Kay asked casually, “Maru isn’t drinking what I _think_ she’s drinking, right?”

Gus laughed. “Goddess, no. It’s a knock-off from a little soda shop up in Grampleton, Pierre recommended them and they sent me a sample case. They make their own syrups in-house, and they have a black cherry wishniak that will knock your socks off.”

Kay was intrigued. If it tasted anything like the real Alpine Rush, she’d be in serious trouble. “You thinking of ordering more?”

Gus shook his head sadly. “I’d love to, but the way things with the bar are right now...” He caught himself before continuing. “I’m not really in a place to switch soda vendors, it’s a huge hassle.”

Kay made a mental note to inquire further later.

“Why so interested?” Leah asked.

“I thought it was from the Empire,” Kay said, “and Gus doesn’t strike me as the sort to import banned goods.”

They chatted with Gus and Emily while they waited for their food. They gushed over Haley and Maru for a bit before Leah asked if Emily was working on any new dresses. The blue-haired waitress blushed as she mentioned a qi pao she was considering, and she and Leah got absorbed in a discussion of sewing technique. Before they knew it, Gus brought over the finished burgers, wrapped tightly in paper and foil for travel, and Kay and Leah settled up. They said their goodbyes, waved to Haley and Maru, and started back.

“Hey, guys!”

Kay and Leah saw Abby wave at them from across the square. She intercepted them as they headed for Red Dragon Road. She was wearing her usual vest and duster combo, but had switched out her usual blue tank top for a pink one and the pants for a color-matched skirt.

“That’s cute!” Leah said, admiring the outfit.

“Thanks, Mom helped me pick it out, I’m really digging it!” she said, twisting her hips to twirl the skirt. “Headed back to the farm?” she asked. Kay nodded.

“Going to read some mail.” Kay replied. “From home.”

Abby’s eyes widened for a moment before she looked pointedly at Leah.

“She knows,” Kay confirmed.

“You should come, too!” Leah said. “I feel like Kay’s going to need more than one shoulder for this.”

“That rough?” Abby asked, concern in her voice. Kay looked away towards the road.

“We’ll see.”

*****

Kay laid the five envelopes out in front of her on the table. Each was sealed with the appropriate seal in the appropriate color of wax for each sister. All were addressed simply ‘Kaylia’. Abby sat on the bed while Leah sat with Kay at the table to eat. They briefed each other on their current statuses with their favorite farmer, and Kay outlined the happenings on the farm for Abby. By the time dinner was consumed, everyone was fully caught up.

“Where do you start?” Abby asked.

Kay waved her head from side to side, considering. “Astria said to save Zoria’s for last.” She picked up the grey-sealed envelope and set it aside. “I feel like I should start with Astria’s so I can find out what the hell they’re doing over there, but that feels like it’s going to be a lot to take right out of the gate.”

“What about the orgy one?” Abby asked. “Ro... Rosaria?”

“The orgy one.” Kay gave Abby a flat glare.

“You have a lot of sisters and keeping track of them is hard.” Abby replied, sticking her tongue out.

“I kind of agree with her.” Leah added.

Kay nodded. It wasn’t a bad idea; Rosaria was first and foremost a diplomat, and Kay had the benefit of being her sister, so she wouldn’t layer any propaganda bullshit into her letter.

“Alright, Rosaria first.”

She picked up the letter and broke the stylized cobra seal.

*****

_Dearest Kaylia,_

_Let me first say “Thank the Goddess you’re safe!” We have been absolutely sick with worry since you gallivanted off to Ferngill without so much as a goodbye. I barely got any enjoyment out of Baron Howe and his twin boys making me airtight the evening you left, I was so concerned for your well-being. Of course, I started feeling much better when the boys sucked each other’s cum out of me, but I refuse to apologize for it, I’m only human. To that end, of COURSE, I forgive you for leaving this rotten hellscape. I wish you’d had the sense to know we would have supported you, but your need for secrecy kept in line with that “Sister knows best” attitude you occasionally bring to bear._

_It has been quite the week since you left, I must say. I’ve been working non-stop guiding the Empire into the bright new future Astria is building for them, by which I mean making sure the nobility is too busy fucking to notice their powers are being stripped away. I’m surprised I’ve only had to deal summarily with one highly-placed noble, but I’ve never really liked Duke Thornsbury anyway. Dreadful man; I bet he wishes he’d respected safe words and practiced proper aftercare now. I suppose not, though, being dead tends to make personal introspection a little difficult._

_About Hadrian; his reaction to your unannounced departure surprised me as much as it did our sisters. It’s always the quiet ones, I suppose, but what else can one expect from the line of Ataraxus. I could see I would be needed to smooth things over, especially after that comment about sending your head to Vendria in a box. You can imagine how she felt about that, despite your past disagreements, and she most certainly would have brought the Hammer down had I not acted first. You can be sure that I gently informed his former majesty of his mistakes as I strangled the life out of him. We were all shocked when Astria thanked me afterward for saving her the cleaning bills. You know, it’s the first time I think any of us has seen her smile? I’m so sorry you had to miss it, but I suppose we have you to thank for making this course change possible._

_Oh! I wish to draw to your attention Lady Aribeth Vilgard, now Duchess of Thornsbury. I believe you are acquainted with her, given your torrid affair with her prior to your departure. I was so livid when I found out you had her first, but I am glad of it all the same, for she is a wonderful lover, likely due to your tender ministrations. I now understand your deep infatuation with ladies of larger proportions, I have never felt so loved and safe as I do when wrapped in her bounteous curves. I’m rather smitten with her, and I am happy to report that she agreed to stay with me in the capitol while she is brought up to speed on her new ducal responsibilities. She handles herself quite well in social situations already, and she has a far more cunning mind than her idiot now-deceased father ever realized. I may ask her to stay on for the entire social season._

_I hope you are doing well, and wish you all the luck and success in your new venture of menial labor. Though the gears of progress turn ever so slowly, I further hope that we will all be able to visit you soon. Beth will no doubt wish to show her appreciation for your assistance in her elevation, as will I._

_I love you, now and always. With warmest regards and deepest admiration,_

_Rosaria_

*****

“Holy shit, the Emperor’s dead?!” Abby said. Kay was glad that regicide was the immediate takeaway from the letter.

“I’m not surprised, if he threatened me. I’m also not surprised Rose was the one to do it.”

“She sounds... interesting.” Leah said.

“She’s a high-functioning sociopath and she loves her work, she won’t be offended if you prefer to keep her at arm’s length.” Kay pursed her lips. “She _does_ have a way of making friends, though...”

“She sure does! The orgy one!” Abby said triumphantly. “Goddess, are all Imperials that twisted?” She asked, likely referring to the Howes.

“For the nobility, that’s fairly sedate. I forgot all about Beth!” Kay said guiltily. “I knew she’d always land on her feet, but still, Rose was right, her dad was a COMPLETE asshole.”

“Need I ask what she meant by ‘ladies of larger proportions’?” Leah asked snarkily.

“Pretty sure she meant ‘chicks with giant tits’,” Abby said, honking her own generous boobs.

“Amongst other things,” Kay responded dryly.

“That wasn’t bad at all!” Leah said. “She forgave you right out of the gate, implied some nasty sex stories, and she and her girlfriend want to jump you at their first opportunity.”

“She’s just being polite.” Kay said.

“Cut that out right now,” Leah scolded her, “you are a wonderful person, you have value, and she clearly loves you dearly.”

“Okay, gosh.” Kay smiled at the rebuke. She picked up Thalia’s letter next, breaking the seal and withdrawing its contents. Included with the letter was a perfectly preserved leaf, a deep red flecked with gold.

“Pretty,” Leah said as Kay handed it to her.

“She’s the archer, right?” Abby asked.

“Yeah. Putting it mildly, but yeah.”

*****

_Hey,_

_Astria asked us if we wanted to write you something. It seemed like a nice idea, so here we are. I’m glad you’re safe._

_I found this leaf outside the capitol. I was surprised it was intact so far from wherever it blew in from. I thought you might like it to remind you of the less horrible places here._

_I’m super pissed Rosaria got to that asshole Hadrian before I did. Whole lot of good these sleeve sheathes are for a quick draw, still weren’t fast enough. I suppose it worked out, you don’t last long with a dagger in the eye. She won’t tell us what she said to him as she killed him, maybe she’ll tell you._

_Vendria was PISSED afterwards. Started shouting about what the hell you were thinking, why you’d do it, how it would’ve made sense if you were going after Z but that’s not what happened and what the fuck. So forth. I had to let her pound my ass for like an hour and a half afterward to get her to calm down. So, you know. It wasn’t all bad. She “let” me suck her off afterwards. She’ll admit she loves ass-to-mouth someday, then I can do it whenever I fucking want._

_I don’t know if I can forgive you for leaving yet. Rose said you knew what you were doing, but you’re the one that can explain the plans, you’re supposed to tell us. It really hurt when you didn’t._

_Take care. Fuck a lot of hot girls. Maybe suck some hot guys off too, if you get the chance._

_I hope you and Z find each other._

_I love you, now and always._

_Thal_

*****

There is was. It cut exactly as deeply as she thought it would, moreso coming from Thalia. She was the last one Kay had seen before her flight, the one to send her off with the love of her sisters. Theirs had always been the most pragmatic relationship, but it killed her that she’d still hurt Thalia with her secrets. That she’d hurt all of them.

Kay was soon surrounded by warmth as Abby and Leah hugged her, the girls quietly weeping with her. It helped immeasurably, and Kay leaned into them as she worked through her pain.

“I’m so sorry,” Leah whispered. Abby merely kissed Kay on the cheek softly.

“It’s alright,” Kay replied, returning their embrace. She picked up the remaining letters and joined the girls on the bed, sandwiching between them. She wiped her eyes clear as she regarded the envelopes.

“So...” Abby said, “her and Vendria?”

Kay nodded. “It’s more of a shared benefits thing, Vendria likes giving it rough and Thalia likes taking it rough, so it works for them. Didn’t know about the ATM thing, though.”

“I do not understand the appeal,” Leah said, “like, I get how it’s a dominance thing, but it seems super gross unless you take your time prepping for it.”

Kay shrugged. “One of the ‘benefits’ of being magically engineered by perverted wizards. We’re always clean as a whistle down there, in both sanitary and bacteriological senses.”

“Do _you_ like it?” Abby asked.

“Which?”

"Ass-to-mouth."

"I don't think so? Z was never really into giving anal, we were both usually wiped out when she received anal, and the furthest I ever went with Ven was makeouts after a fight."

She wasn’t sure if they were distracting her on purpose, but Kay really appreciated their company and conversation for this. From the look on their faces, the girls knew what they were doing.

“Thank you,” Kay said, placing a hand on Leah’s knee and Abby’s thigh.

“Of course,” Leah said, “what are sisters for?”

Kay picked up the lion-sealed letter, turning it over in her hands. “Welp, might as well get the shouting over with.”

*****

_You fucking bitch!_

(“It does not actually start like that!” Leah gasped as Abby pulled the letter over to look at it. “Yes, it sure does,” Abby confirmed.)

_What the FUCK were you thinking?! Just going to head over to Ferngill, take up growing vegetables, maybe find a fat wife and have a few parasites and forget all about YOUR FUCKING FAMILY?! I knew you were an arrogant bitch but FUCK. Did you have ANY idea what would happen if you dropped everything and left?_

_We love you! We trusted you! You could have told us how you felt, what you needed! We would have figured something out! I know we don’t agree on... anything, but we’re sisters! We’re the baddest fucking bitches on the planet! How many times have we bailed each other out in a fight? How many times did we have to spend weeks on some Goddess-forsaken battlefield, soaked from rain and half-frozen, with no one for comfort but each other? Did that mean anything at all to you?_

_What a colossal fuck-up. Seriously. I knew it was coming, honestly; you were bound to crack before long, and HERE IT IS. Fucking moral crisis comes along and you fuck off to the ass-end of Nowheresville to be a farmer. I should have been the C-in-C from the start, maybe we would have avoided this entire shitshow._

_I’m C-in-C now, by the way, and I FUCKING HATE IT. I haven’t had a good fight in months, and that was before I got saddled with a desk job. I cannot fathom how your brain didn’t turn to mush with all of this paperwork and request handling and paperwork and supply chain reinforcement and PAPERWORK. My hand is constantly cramping up, and not in the good way like after a crank session. I’m so distracted lately, Thalia’s been bossing me around in bed and I’ve been letting her get away with it. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME._

_If there’s one good thing to come out of this colossal pile, it’s that we got to see Hadrian’s true colors. I have never seen anyone flip from nice guy to super-villain so quick. What a tremendous asshole. Astria tells him you’ve abandoned your post, he starts ranting about how that was impossible, how could a Bladesister betray him, why hasn’t Astria brought her back yet. He got this crazy look in his eye before he turned to me and said “Congratulations, Vendria, you’re being promoted. Take the army and reap a Republic harvest. I want every Republic soldier within 50 miles of Imperial territory dead by week’s end. Start with all of the prisoners, I want them executed painfully and publicly. Work with Rosaria to schedule that.”_

_For the first time, **I** had to convince him to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Goddess, that was the weirdest five minutes of my life. Miss Wreck ‘Em All advocating for a ‘measured response’. He looks at me like I’m something he stepped in, and then he says, in the coldest voice I have ever heard: “General, you will carry out my orders, or I will send Rosaria to find your sister and bring her head back in a pretty box for encouragement.”_

_The fucking moron. I thought I’d be the one to smash his head like a grape, Thalia had at least five daggers ready, but Rose beat us all to him first, and I’m glad she did, because he suffered. She choked the life out of the ungrateful bastard real slow, and I was close enough to hear what she was saying and it was ICE COLD. “My apologies, but do you really think you’re in control here? Allow me to tell you EXACTLY what will happen in the next 60 seconds.” She had that crazy psycho killer look on her face, the one that makes me glad I’ve never pissed her off. WOOF._

_So, Astria’s the Empress now, which is the best case result of all of this, I guess. She asked me for a status update on the entire army, which is why I’m jockeying a fucking desk right now instead of smashing some heads or railing Thal. I’ll be honest, I’ve been imagining it’s your ass I’m destroying, and that helps a little, but it really doesn’t because Thal’s ass is incredible and deserves to be worshiped properly and I can’t do that when I’m pretending to hate-fuck you. In short, you are the worst and I blame you for everything._

_I just want you to know something. Once things settle down here, I’m coming for you. There is no place for you to hide. Wherever you may hide away, I SWEAR to you, I will be there._

_Love you always_

_Ven_

*****

Hadrian. Kay couldn’t believe how badly she’d misjudged him. It was one thing to threaten her, the sisters could deal with that easily enough, but he wanted genocide and right then. She wondered if she would have answered the call, had Ven actually gone through with summoning the Galaxy Hammer. She was glad she didn’t have to answer that question.

Kay certainly wasn't expecting Ven's letter to be so _hysterical._ She cackled multiple times as she read the invective-laced missive, and she wondered how much was genuine vitriol and how much exaggeration for effect.

When she finished reading, Kay noticed the room had gone deathly quiet. She looked up and saw looks of abject terror on Abby and Leah's faces. Obviously, the humorous qualities were lost on them in all of the death threats.

"Oh, geez, no, she'll be fine," Kay tried to comfort them.

"But she said she's coming to kill you!" Abby said.

"She said she's coming _for_ me, I doubt she'd actually try to kill me. This actually makes me feel a little better about the whole business, it would have been a lot shorter if she were actually angry."

"How do you know that?" Leah asked, her voice conveying concern rather than fear.

Kay indicated the last lines of the letter. "Because we always end our fights this way. I'm just not there to sing the other half of it."

The girls looked at each other, Kay wasn't making any sense at all.

"Les Misérables?" Kay asked, looking for any recognition, "The Confrontation? Javert recognizes Valjean eight years after his escape from prison and comes to take him in?"

"I'm not really into musicals," Abby admitted.

"That's how you make up after a fight?" Abby asked, incredulous.

"It makes sense to us." Kay responded, realizing that it probably _only_ made sense to her and Ven.

"I mean, you all do seem a bit... theatrical," Leah conceded. "But, still, I wouldn't want to be on any side of her, much less her bad side."

"She grows on you," Kay admitted, "but maybe wear earplugs anyway." She held up Astria's letter. "Shall we press on, or do you two need a break?"

"I'm good," Abby said, stifling a yawn.

"Me, too," Leah said, resting her head on Kay's shoulder.

Kay broke the purple owl-sealed envelope.

*****

_Dear Kaylia,_

_When you receive this letter, Emperor Hadrian I, last of his line, will be dead and I will have taken his place upon the Imperial throne. I am the first Empress of Gotoro since the Divine Aurelia, and it is with no small amount of trepidation that I hope to meet the standard our illustrious forebear set. It is the culmination of over three hundred years’ planning and execution, and I am happy to see my aims finally come to fruition. I do not expect you will be surprised by this revelation. I leave the puzzling out of my goals and acts over the years, knowing the ultimate result for reference, as an exercise for you, sister. I will be interested to hear your analysis and to point out your missteps, as per usual._

_In truth, Emperor Ataraxus was ultimately responsible for delivering the Empire from the destructive path it strode. Had he not continued the Divine Aurelia’s progeny initiative, altering it to suit his own ends, we would not have been created, and I would not have been in a position to solve the problems that beset us all. It grieves me to laud so odious a man as the Usurper, but it cannot be helped._

_I was gratified at the speed with which your sisters rose to your defense against former emperor Hadrian, and I hope that it will be the last time Rosaria is called upon as Mistress of Assassins. To her credit, she is now responsible for ending the reigns of 7 emperors before they became uncontrollable, but she has always enjoyed her work. She may take on the young Duchess of Thornsbury as a sort of social project in peacetime, of which I fully approve. Goddess knows she could use some help sleeping with the entirety of the nobility; maybe she, and by extension I, will actually get some sleep._

_Vendria is as impossible as ever. I’ve set her the task of supplying me a complete readiness report of our forces afield and in garrison, supply inventories, and prisoner information. That will keep her out of trouble while we begin the slow march to armistice with Ferngill. I expect we will begin repatriating our prisoners by year’s end, but there is much to do before we can arrive at any such agreement. In the meantime, Thalia is in direct command of the troops, and you will be gratified to know that they remain as disciplined as ever. It is clear that she has taken a shine to them, dour as she normally is, and I suspect her duties with them will help blunt her anger at you in time._

_I have anticipated a request to investigate the possible origins of young master Rasmodius’s lineage and can confirm that no such wizard family with that surname was ever recorded upon the rolls of the Imperial College in modern times. The Master of Records is currently scouring the pages of antiquity at my instigation, and I shall report his findings if and when they bear fruit._

_Kay, there is so much I want to tell you about the track of our lives. You will eventually realize my involvement in driving you to leave, and likely many other events besides, and such realization will only reinforce the image of a manipulative, imperious, cold-hearted overseer rather than a sister that obsessed with providing the best possible future not just for her sisters, but for the Empire. So you understand if I find your plea for forgiveness as saddening, for there is nothing to forgive. Instead, I humbly but ardently beg your forgiveness for keeping so many things from you, for forcing you into situations that preyed upon your very soul, and for sending away your deepest, truest love for the sake of a people and a nation that will never know or appreciate the sacrifices we have made for them._

_I cannot tell you where Zoria is, for it was her wish that I not know. Her ‘assignment’ was a ruse to allow her to escape the Empire’s grasp, as you have. I have always suspected she knew I had arranged for her departure, but she made no sign of it. The letter I have enclosed was written by her three years ago, moments before she boarded the vessel that would carry her to a new life in the Republic. Given her specific talents, she will have blended in so perfectly that finding her would be all but impossible. I hope and pray that your bond proves stronger than her skills and enchantments, and that you are reunited as you were meant to be._

_We will visit as soon as propriety and political expedience allow. Please know that you are always in our thoughts and our hearts, and we wish you every success in your new life._

_I love you, now and always._

_Astria_

*****

The letter drifted out of Kay’s hands. The revelation that their eldest sister had been manipulating them the entirety of their lives, as well as countless others within the Empire, and that she was responsible not only for her flight, but Zoria’s as well, left Kay completely numb. She barely noticed Abby pick up the letter and resume reading it where Kay had left off, and she failed to register the girls’ gasps as they too learned of Astria’s machinations. Kay tried to rationalize it, see everything as for the good of countless lives in the Empire, but Astria sent Zoria away. She knew it was selfish, but Kay would have preferred Gotoro burn to ash and dust if it meant she could still be with Zoria.

Abby and Leah were floored. Kay held Astria up as the wisest of her sisters, if somewhat inscrutable at times, but the depth of Astria’s betrayal far outweighed any crime for which Kay held herself accountable. Abby instantly hated her, while Leah felt only intense dislike, the saving grace being Astria’s sincere apology.

They all sat on the bed quietly, waiting for Kay to say something. The silence was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Kay remained motionless, so Leah volunteered to answer it. She opened the door to see Melvyn in his usual black robes and ridiculous hat.

“Hey, how’s things?” he asked cheerfully. He immediately sensed the aura of sadness in the room. “Astria?” he asked, and Leah nodded.

“How did you know?” Abby asked, a hint of venom in her voice.

“Come on, I’ll tell you both.”

“I’m not leaving Kay alone.” Abby said.

“Me neither, it doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Leah agreed.

“It’s alright,” Kay said, finally. “You two go with Mel for a while, I just need a little bit.”

They both protested, but Kay remained firm. She smiled weakly and promised she would be okay while they were gone. They didn’t believe her one bit, but finally relented when Luna, blessed Luna, trotted in to the cabin, hopped up on the bed, and promptly laid her head down in Kay’s lap, mewing sympathetically.

“That cat is something else,” Melvyn commented, nodding his head towards the outside. The girls followed him out and closed the door quietly behind them.

*****

Maru and Haley scrambled through the door to Haley’s room, kissing passionately as they they rushed to disrobe. Their date had been everything they’d hoped for, it was so relaxing and fun to just be out and have dinner and talk. They were happy to be in private, though, and Haley couldn’t wait to unleash Maru’s massive tits from their confinement. She dove into Maru’s deep cleavage, reaching behind to unclasp her bra. Maru sighed as the garment dropped away, revealing her H-cup bounty for Haley. They continued kissing as Maru drew Haley into bed on top of her.

“I love you so much,” Haley said, her usual dirty language on hold for the moment. Maru’s violet eyes, her auburn hair, her caramel skin; they never failed to take Haley’s breath away. “You are so beautiful.”

Maru blushed, she was never very good at accepting compliments, especially from her blonde goddess. “So are you,” she replied, kissing Haley deeply. “I need to you play with my tits, they’ve missed you...”

Haley growled quietly as she squeezed Maru’s tits together. The soft orbs deformed in her hands, and Maru’s whimpering only intensified as Haley flicked the nipples with her fingers. Slowly, she traced her tongue down Maru’s neck and across the left breast, circling the areola before kissing the nipple. Maru gasped as it quickly disappeared between Haley’s lips. Haley pressed her face into the soft flesh, sucking as much of Maru’s breast into her mouth as possible. Maru melted, moaning loudly as Haley kissed and sucked her sensitive nipple.

“Mmm, I could do this every day,” Haley said, watching Maru’s face as she switched to lavish attention to her other breast. Maru glanced down, saw those piercing blue eyes staring at her, and her hips bucked against Haley as a sudden mini orgasm coursed through her body.

“It’s so good,” Maru moaned, “don’t ever stop!” She wrapped her arms around Haley to hold her in place, and the blonde obliged her by lavishing her breasts with attention. She reached down to slide a finger into Maru’s wet pussy, drawing another gasp from her lover.

“Hmm,” Haley teased, “I love sucking on these huge tits, but...” She sucked Maru’s nectar from her finger and moaned. “Your pussy is so tasty, I don’t know if I can resist it.” She slowly lowered her face along Maru’s body, planting soft kisses on her chest and abs. She lingered just above Maru’s pussy, softly blowing onto her clit and flicking at it with her tongue.

“Haleeeeeee...” Maru moaned. Her lover was driving her absolutely wild, her hips rolling of their own accord towards Haley’s face. Unable to stand it any longer, Maru pushed Haley’s head down, and Haley obliged by driving her tongue into Maru’s warm slit.

“Fuck, yeah,” Haley said, licking deeply, kissing the thin lips, and sucking on the clit. Maru writhed in pleasure, screaming for Haley. The blonde could feel Maru closing in on an orgasm and slowed her pace, drawing it out.

“You wanna cum for me, baby?” Haley asked, teasing Maru’s clit.

Maru nodded. “Please make me cum!” she cried.

“Yeah, cum all over my face, baby.’ Haley pushed a finger back into Maru’s pussy, reaching in and upwards to barely graze Maru’s spot. She held it there for a brief moment before withdrawing and replacing her finger with her tongue, her eyes locked with her lover’s. Maru screamed as she came, body shaking with desire and arousal, and her pussy gushed with nectar. Haley lapped at Maru frantically, driving her deeper into her climax as Maru ground against Haley’s face. Maru eventually could take no more and pulled Haley into a deep, searing kiss. They made out as Maru’s climax receded, holding each other in a tight embrace as their tongues sparred.

“Goddess, I am so into you right now,” Haley sighed, shifting to guide Maru’s mouth to her breasts. Maru latched on and gently sucked and teased Haley’s nipples with her lips and tongue, taking Haley’s other boob in her hand to do the same with it. Haley closed her eyes; she enjoyed this, but also wished she were sensitive enough to get off on it like Maru could. That reminded her of something she wanted to ask.

“Hey, why doesn’t your back hurt?”

“Huh?” Maru said, looking at Haley while she continued licking.

“You have those massive tits, how do you not have constant back pain?” Haley occasionally experienced some soreness thanks to her own double-ds, she couldn’t imagine how Maru could cope with her H bombs.

Maru tilted her head to think about it. “It’s a couple things. Good infrastructure to start, obviously.” She indicated her custom bra, currently resting on the floor a few feet away. “Mom and my aunt Helen insisted I be properly measured when they started coming in, and Helen takes me shopping once a year for updates.”

Haley hadn’t met Maru’s aunt, but from the sound of it, she was of similar endowment and would know all about such things.

“Mom and I do yoga together, too, and I think that’s what really helps. Strong muscles and good posture and whatnot. Hey!” Maru brightened. “You should join us! I think you’d really enjoy it, it’s super chill.”

“It’s not that fitness club your mom does on Tuesdays, is it?” Haley heard about that from Emily all the time, it was a little more intense than she cared to experience.

Maru shook her head. “No, it’s just mom and me. We use the garage, light some scented candles, put on some music, it’s great.”

“Yeah, I think I’d like to try it, at least.” Haley kissed Maru’s cheek. “I’ll take every moment I can get with you, honestly.”

Maru smiled. “Thank you for being willing to try it!” A devious look crossed her face, and she kissed Haley passionately. “Now, if you would ever so kindly turn over, I would very much like to lick you to a screaming orgasm of your own.”

Haley moaned as she returned Maru’s kiss before complying. She slowly crawled to the other end of the bed, raising up on all fours and shaking her shapely butt at Maru. Haley looked over her shoulder, and the smoldering look she sent Maru’s way was obscured by her long, blond hair. It painted an irresistible scene.

“Come on then,” Haley said, licking her lips.

Maru slid her hands along the backs of Haley’s thighs, slowly caressing her lover’s powerful legs. Haley drew in a sharp breath as Maru spread her backside to lick the length of her ass.

“You wanna eat my ass, nasty girl?” Haley gasped.

“Mm-hmm,” Maru replied, licking around the tight star as she reached under to massage Haley’s clit.

“Oh, yeah!” Haley moaned, “Goddess, it’s so good!” Maru was exceptionally talented at this, and knew exactly where and how to manipulate Haley into tremendous orgasms. Maru’s tongue flicked against Haley’s entry before her lips descended to kiss it deeply, probing it with her tongue. Meanwhile, she started driving first one, then two, then three fingers in and out of Haley’s wet pussy, occasionally using her thumb to massage Haley’s clit gently before resuming the motion.

“Fuck!” Haley cried. Her hips bucked at Maru’s ministrations, the combination of sensations driving her mad with lust. “Goddess, I LOVE what you do to me. Yeah, rim my ass, give me that tongue, slut, I know you love it.” Maru moaned into Haley’s ass as she complied, receiving a deeper moan from Haley in return. Haley felt an orgasm coming, a big one, and she communicated such.

“Oh, FUCK!” Haley dropped her head and leaned into Maru, begging her to go as deep as she could. Maru drove her fingers and tongue as deeply as possible, diddling Haley’s clit with her thumb to push her the extra mile. Haley started screaming as her body rocked in ecstasy, her climax crashing into her suddenly. Maru felt herself join Haley in her climax, the sensation of her mouth on her lover’s body enough to send shocks of lust to her core.

They collapsed on the bed, Maru’s face cradled by Haley’s ass, as they descended from their erotic peak. Their heavy breathing subsided as they calmed down, and Maru soon climbed over to lay beside Haley. She kissed the back of the blonde’s neck before settling in as big spoon.

“I love you, Haley,” she said.

“I love you too, Maru,” Haley replied.

They stayed that way for a while, content to share their warmth and bask int he afterglow. They both knew they weren’t done for the evening by a long shot and that multiple orgasms still awaited them both, but the romantic pause felt every bit as wonderful.

*****

Melvyn, Leah, and Abby had adjourned to the greenhouse, arranging the orphaned couch cushions to sit and talk.

“Astria filled me in on some things,” he started, “not everything, but enough to realize that it was going to hit Kay pretty hard.”

“Why wouldn’t she say anything?” Abby asked. “At least to say that everything would be alright! I thought they were super tight!”

“It does seem like she wanted to be in control of everything from the beginning,” Leah added.

“I agree,” Melvyn responded, surprising Abby.

“Aren’t you wizards supposed to stand up for one another?”

Melvyn nodded. “Normally, yeah, and I can understand Astria’s reasoning from a greater scope perspective; the less they knew, the less chance they have of letting something slip. But keeping her sisters completely in the dark the entire time was still a bad idea. I don’t understand everything about how their relationships work, I doubt I ever will, but Astria _had_ to know they could be trusted with some of that information.”

“It’s just so fucked up!” Abby said angrily. “She just admits she drove both Kay and Zoria away as part of all this! And she talks about how it’s _their_ sacrifice, _their_ burden, like they all had a say in it!”

Leah listened to the two argue; she agreed with them both. Abby was totally justified in thinking Astria was utter garbage for what she did, no better than the wizards that created her, but Leah also understood Melvyn’s position that Astria believed she was doing what was necessary for both her family and the Empire.

“Why didn’t she just overthrow the Emperor right away?” Leah asked. “That would have saved a lot of time.”

“She probably would have, if she’d been able to,” Melvyn mused. “I suspect she was powerful enough to cause some real damage, but didn’t have enough experience to prepare for the outcome. None of the Bladesisters did right after they’d been... uncorked? Further, who would have sided with Astria in a coup attempt? Would the army have followed Kay’s orders sight unseen? I think Astria realized they had to prove the Empire needed them, that the _Emperor_ needed them. Spend a few hundred years being indispensable, without any sign that you want the throne for yourself...” Melvyn let the implication hang in the air.

“I still think she’s a GIANT bitch.” Abby huffed.

“Same.” Leah said. “But I think I understand her a little better.”

Abby looked at Leah, appearing to mull something over, before turning back to Melvyn. “Hey, did you get our test results?”

Melvyn was surprised Abby wanted to talk about it in front of Leah. “I did. You, uh... you want those now?”

“What tests?” Leah asked.

“Kay thinks we all might be under some kind of mind-altering enchantment. Melvyn ran some tests on me and my mom to see what was what. We probably want to run those tests on everyone in town eventually, but it’ll take some time to figure out how to ask everyone for some of their hair without causing an incident.” She looked at Melvyn who nodded in understanding.

“Okay... do I want to know what _kind_ of enchantment?” Leah asked.

Abby blushed a little, and Melvyn picked up the thread. “The sort of thing that would... encourage people to act contrary to their character. Specifically what, we’re trying to determine.”

Leah shuddered. “That sounds horrifying.”

“All the more reason to investigate.” Melvyn produced a small pair of scissors. “I assume you’d like to know?”

“Yes, please.” Leah walked over and let Melvyn snip a small lock of hair from the end of her braid.

“Thank you, I’ll drop you a letter tomorrow. Now,” he said, turning to Abby, “the good news is you and your mother are free of any active enchantments.”

“Thank the Goddess,” Abby replied. That would be a relief to her mom, and they’d probably find some appropriate way to celebrate the news.

“But,” Melvyn continued, “thanks to some tips from a more experienced practitioner, I found that you and she _were_ affected by something powerful in the past.”

The color drained from Abby’s face. “Do you know what?”

Melvyn frowned. “Not exactly. It was a mental charm of some variety, and it lasted for only a moment. My best guess is a memory charm of some kind, designed to affect a lot of people at once and to remove memories of a very specific evert from anyone that had experienced it. Maybe. I’m not entirely sure.”

“So, it wasn’t something that would have altered my brain permanently? Like, made me act differently than I would normally?”

“Yes, it was quick and highly specific.”

Abby didn’t like it, but at least it was a clean bill of health for recent developments.

“How long ago did this happen?” Leah asked.

“About five years.” the wizard replied. He wasn’t looking forward to telling that piece of news to Kay; it likely meant that it was tied to whatever his father was up to when he disappeared. “Which is why I’m super interested in running tests against you, Leah. I bet you weren’t effected.”

“Because I was still living in Zuzu.” Leah concluded.

“That’s so weird!” Abby said. “How long until you know what it did?”

Melvyn shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m skilled enough to piece it together so long after the initial event, and I’m certainly not interested in going memory-diving.”

“Memory-diving?” Leah and Abby asked in unison.

“I basically put you into a magical coma and pick apart your memories by reliving them. It’s not pleasant, for the subject or the viewer.” Melvyn looked a little ill at the prospect.

“Yeah, no thanks.” Abby said. She was starting to realize just how bad Imperial wizards could be and was very glad Mel wasn’t one of them.

“What now?” Leah asked.

“I keep learning, Kay keeps farming, world keeps turning, I guess.” Melvyn stood up, brushing his robes off. “I should get back, I have a lot of homework tonight.”

“Astria tutoring you?” Leah asked with a smirk.

“Yeah,” Melvyn answered, “and I’m terrified to find out what happens if I slack off. You two going to be okay with her?” he asked, glancing towards the cabin.

“Yeah,” Abby said, “I was planning on staying tonight before all this already.”

“I should get going too, after we check in.” Leah said.

“Okay.” He nodded at the pair and started back for the tower. Abby and Leah hugged and headed back to the cabin.

*****

Kay had shifted to lie down in the bed, and Luna had crawled up to nuzzle in between her boobs. She thought it was pretty funny at first, but having the purring, 9-pound cat resting on her chest was very comforting. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift off to consider everything. There was obviously a _lot_ to consider.

That train of thought never got started, however, as the softness of her bedding and the warmth and cuddliness of the cat relaxed her far more than she was expecting. It had been a pretty long day, and she felt herself slip into a deep slumber.

Her dreams were indistinct, a series of images from her past: her sisters in council, soldiers in the field, Zoria in her arms, sparring with Vendria and Thalia, endless royal banquets with inane nobles asking inane questions, interrogations with an endless parade of faceless prisoners. All the while, Astria loomed over everything, a guiding hand for all of it.

_“She does love us, you know.”_

Zoria’s voice rang out in Kay’s mind, and echo from long ago. She as right, of course, Kay didn’t doubt that Astria loved her sisters dearly. But she could have trusted them, couldn’t she? Hadn’t they all proved that the sisters came first, the Empire a distant second? Kay couldn’t fathom why Astria chose that path, and _that’s_ what bothered her the most. She just wanted to understand.

_“You will, eventually. Now, wake up and suck on your new girlfriend.”_

*****

Kay awoke suddenly, again startled that Zoria seemed aware of her current situation. Someone had turned the lantern down but not off, and Kay noticed she was being spooned by Abby. The purple-haired girl was still fully-clothed and lightly dozing. Luna had disappeared, but Kay was sure the cat was nearby.

Kay also realized she was very horny. Her cock strained against her pants and she was very aware of Abby’s breasts pressing into her back. She considered reaching down to shift her pants and discreetly stroke herself, but knew it wouldn’t be enough. She turned around to face Abby and kissed her. Abby moaned softly as she awoke and returned the kiss.

“Hi,” Abby said. “I hope you don’t mind, I wanted to stay with you tonight. I thought you might appreciate the company.”

“I do,” Kay replied, “more than you realize.” She kissed Abby again, driving her tongue into Abby’s mouth and savoring the contact. Abby pulled Kay closer, their breasts mashing together between them as they made out. Their hands wandered each other’s bodies, touching and squeezing, filling them with lust for one another.

“Wait here,” Kay said, rolling over Abby to stand up. She slowly disrobed, keeping her back to Abby. “Sit on the edge of the bed,” she said, throwing a smoldering glance over her bare shoulder. Abby complied as she watched Kay toss her shirt to the side and step out of her pants. Kay turned, revealing her huge tits and hard cock to Abby.

“Wow,” Abby breathed. Kay was so sexy and beautiful, she could have asked anything of Abby and the young woman would have done it.

Kay gazed at Abby with uncontrolled desire. Her pink skirt was tenting outrageously, and Kay licked her lips in anticipation of what was to come. She knew she was on a hair trigger right now, that she would likely explode the second her lips made contact, and she wanted to share that with Abby.

“Lift up your skirt,” Kay asked. Abby bit her lip as she did so, revealing her large cock at full mast. Kay walked over and knelt down by Abby’s left, ensuring she had a good view of Kay’s cock.

“May I please suck your massive cock?” Kay asked, her voice dripping with need. Abby’s jaw dropped at the request, unprepared for how much she wanted, she _needed_ Kay to take her in her mouth.

“Goddess, yes,” Abby whispered.

With a growl, Kay took Abby’s cock in her right hand and wrapped her lips around the head. Kay came immediately, and Abby screamed in pleasure at both the sensation of Kay finally sucking on her and at Kay’s orgasm. Neither girl had so much touched Kay, and yet stream after stream of cum erupted from her violet cock. Kay moaned wildly as she came, sucking on Abby’s head when suddenly her mouth was filled with cum. The sight of Kay’s orgasm was too much, and Abby soon followed her in a massive climax. Kay greedily swallowed every single drop of Abby’s wonderful cum, stroking her massive dick to coax as much of the heady issue as possible.

“Holy shit,” Abby said, catching her breath, “what was _that?!_ ”

Kay smiled as she removed her mouth from Abby’s cock with a pop. “I told you, I _love_ oral. And now that that’s out of the way,” she said, taking a pillow to kneel on, “we can take our time properly.” Kay lifted Abby’s cock, sucked on the base for a moment, and then started licking her pussy.

Kay held the still sensitive member in place as she swirled her tongue up and down the length of Abby’s slit, occasionally driving it in between Abby’s nether lips. Kay loved the way Abby looked, lost in pleasure, her pink skirt draped around that wonderfully thick cock. “You are so sexy,” she said, leaning over to kiss Abby’s hips and all around the base of her cock before returning to her pussy. Abby’s nectar was addictive, and Kay couldn’t get enough.

Abby was in heaven. This violet goddess... _her_ violet goddess was making love to her with only her mouth, and had already drawn a huge climax from her with ease. Watching her cum just from having Abby’s cock in her mouth was the most arousing thing Abby had ever seen, and that included her mom’s incredible deepthroat skills. More than that, though, was the fire in Kay’s crimson eyes: it threatened to consume Abby utterly in a storm of lust, but she could see past the flames to the emotions fueling them, pure and wonderful. She needed to be as close to this woman as possible.

“Kaylia!” Abby moaned, pulling Kay up to plant a passionate kiss. Kay immediately returned the act, and their tongues danced as they kissed deeply. Abby reached down to take Kay’s cock in hand, slowly pointing it down towards her pussy and pulling it towards her. Kay gasped as she felt her head make contact with Abby’s nether lips, her eyes going wide with surprise.

“Abby...?” She looked into Abby’s deep violet eyes.

“Kaylia, I need you,” Abby responded. “I want you, I need you, please...”

Abby stroked Kay and guided the head into her pussy. They both gasped as Abby’s molten core enveloped Kay’s cock, and Kay reached down to grab Abby’s hips for leverage.

“I love you, Kaylia,” Abby whispered, tearing up a little from the power of her emotions. She nearly burst into sobs of joy when she noticed the twinkles at the edges of Kay’s eyes, knowing she felt the same way.

“I love you, Abigail,” Kay responded. Slowly, she pushed herself into Abby until she bottomed out, squeezing Abby’s cock between their bodies. They held each other there, enraptured by the sensations coursing through their bodies; Abby felt completely filled by Kay’s cock; Kay could not believe how warm and safe she felt wrapped in Abby’s folds, her soft channel gripping and massaging her cock.

Kay slowly started grinding against Abby, drawing her cock back and forth in a steady rhythm. Abby wrapped her arms around Kay and held her tightly, bearing down to maintain her channel’s grip. She gasped when Kay started nibbling on her ear and whispering. “Goddess, Abby, I love how this feels.”

“I love it, Kaylia,” Abby replied, planting small kisses on Kay’s face and neck, “I never want this to end.”

They made love for what seemed like hours, Kay varying her pace and driving them both close to the edge but never taking them completely over. Their positions changes as they progressed: Kay picked Abby up and went to the wall, bracing them both as she sped up to pound Abby; they went back to the bed and Abby rode Kay, grinding her hips against Kay as she bottomed out time and again; Kay had Abby on all fours as she took the violet-haired beauty from behind, reaching down to stroke Abby’s now neglected cock. Kay’s pace was measured throughout, and Abby marveled at Kay’s strength and stamina.

Eventually, they both felt massive climaxes nearing, unwilling to be delayed further. “Where do you want me to cum, Abby?” Kay asked.

Abby remembered the Kay’s stated favorite position and went for it. “I want it in my mouth, but only if I can cum in your mouth, too.”

Kay nearly screamed as she kissed Abby before they arranged themselves on the bed. They took each other’s cocks into their mouths in unison, and their moans filled the room as they sucked and licked each other. Kay’s cock was an amazing blend of Abby’s juices and Kay’s precum, and Abby did her very best to clean it properly with her tongue. Abby’s cock was coated in her own precum, and Kay easily took it deep into her throat. Kay went crazy for Abby’s size, she loved having a cock to fill her mouth and throat and Abby’s was just about perfect. Abby felt similarly about Kay’s smaller but no less wonderful member, and she looked forward to a time when she could take it all as easily as Kay did hers.

“Goddess, Abby, I’m going to cum!” Kay cried.

“Do it!” Abby commanded. “Flood my mouth with your cum!”

Abby’s urging sent Kay into her most powerful orgasm of the night, and she did just as Abby asked. Abby’s mouth filled with hot, delicious cum, and she swallowed it as best she could. Her own orgasm started then, and Kay moaned wildly as her mouth was again filled with Abby’s issue. They sucked and stroked each other through an amazing shared climax, moaning and screaming around each other’s members as they came.

When the flood subsided, Abby turned herself around and immediately kissed Kay, forcing her tongue into Kay’s mouth. As their seed mixed in the torrid kiss, Abby felt Kay’s cock pulse one last blast of cum onto her abs. She reached down to scoop as much of it as she could and fed it to Kay, who gladly shared it back with Abby.

“Oh, wow,” Abby said, completely spent as their kiss finished.

“Same,” Kay said. They giggled as Kay pulled the covers over them and snuggled up to Abby. The bed was big enough for both of them, but not by much.

“Kaylia,” Abby said, “thank you for all of this.”

“You are most welcome, Abigail.” Kay replied. She thought for a moment before smirking. “I take it this is you staking a more permanent claim?”

Abby smiled. “I think we have a lot to talk about before anyone ‘stakes a claim’ on anyone else. Call it a statement of intent.”

“Fair enough,” Kay said. Abby shrugged off the rest of her clothes and Kay threw them on the floor before wrapping her arms around Abby’s waist.

“I hope you didn’t cum on that skirt,” Abby said, “I really like it.”

“Me, too, I can’t believe how incredibly sexy it was watching you pull it up to reveal that huge hog.”

Abby snorted, it was a terrible way to refer to her dick, but also strangely touching.

“You seemed to like sucking my huge hog,” she commented, turning to face Kay.

“I _loved_ sucking your huge hog,” Kay responded, the lust in her voice evident. _Okay,_ Abby thought, _it’s super hot now._

“You ever wear skirts? I bet you’d look super cute,” Abby asked, changing the subject before round 3 inevitably started.

*****

Spring 9, Year 1

Kay, Luna, and Zeus stood under the eaves of the cabin, watching the rain fall. Thunder rumbled softly far off into the distance, and the air smelled fresh and clean. A few yards away, the field of parsnips sat ready to be harvested. Nearby, Apollo the raven hopped around in the potato patch, using his beak to pull weeds and other undesirables. Kay smirked; the animals that gravitated to this farm seemed to possess a vast intelligence and empathy she didn’t think possible. It really just proved that she didn’t have any of the answers, and that was okay.

Kay staved off a yawn as she stood there waking up. She and Abby had stayed up most of the night talking about all sorts of things, mostly without fooling around. They had fallen asleep in each others’ arms after another spirited make-out session. Kay was surprised neither of them had fallen out of the bed. Another reason to start making a real profit and get the house expanded, or at least to get a bigger bed.

The door opened and Abby joined Kay on the porch. Her skirt had not been ruined, and she looked reasonably put together. She kissed Kay sweetly.

“I should get going,” Abby said. Kay smirked, reaching down to gently feel Abby’s cock through her skirt.

“Do you have time for a proper sendoff?” Kay asked, dropping to her knees as Abby giggled and raised her skirt. Her cock hung between her legs, and Kay moaned on the sight of it.

“Goddess, I love your cock,” she said, ducking down to take it into her mouth and down her throat. It immediately started firming up as Kay bobbed on it, and Abby ran her hands through Kay’s silver hair.

“Kaylia,” she moaned, “take me all the way.”

Kay complied, deepthroating Abby’s cock with a deep moan. Abby took Kay’s head in her hands and slowly thrust her hips out, fucking Kay’s mouth. Kay closed her eyes and gave herself over, allowing Abby to control the pace as she rammed her giant cock down Kay’s eager throat.

“Oh, Kaylia,” Abby said, “I’m gonna cum down your throat!” Kay could get her off so quickly, and she loved it.

“Morning!” a bright voice called as Melvyn rounded the corner. “The silo’s all set fo-OH, GODDESS, WHY?!” He spun around to avert his gaze, his face turning beet red.

Abby screamed as she burst, sending waves of hot cum right down Kay’s throat. Kay pulled Abby’s cock all the way in and milked it with her throat muscles. Abby leaned against the cabin for support as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. It was over in a moment, but they both needed several more to recover from the intense act.

“S-sorry about that,” Abby said weakly.

“It’s alright!” Melvyn responded, giving a thumbs-up as he kept his back turned. “Just let me know when you’re done or whatever.”

Kay snickered around Abby’s cock as she slowly withdrew it from her mouth. She stood up and gave Abby a quick peck on the lips. “Thank you for that,” she whispered.

“Anytime!” Abby responded. “I, uh... I’m gonna... go... place... um...”

Kay laughed as she turned Abby in the direction of town. She eventually recovered enough to walk straight, and turned to blow Kay a kiss.

Kay smiled. The impromptu lewd act woke her right up, and now she didn’t need breakfast.

“Alright, I’m decent,” she said.

Melvyn turned and gave Kay a withering glare. “You could have warned me!”

“I apologize. I forgot how much I love ramming a cock down my-”

“YES,” Melvyn interrupted, “THANK YOU, CAN WE PLEASE GET ON.”

Kay laughed as she moved to inspect the parsnips, setting her empty backpack nearby. “I thought that stuff didn’t bother you.”

Melvyn harrumphed as he donned his gold spectacles. “Talking about it is one thing, it’s quite something else altogether to walk in on someone in flagrante delicto. Shameless, is what it is.” He flipped down a set of lenses and twisted a dial to tune them before focusing on the silo. It already showed a small amount of energy stored within. “Well, whatever you got up to last night, it primed the pumps, so to speak. How are we looking over there?”

“It’ll do.” The fertilizer had worked wonders on the crop, and Kay was very pleased with the results. There were plenty of candidates for the Junimos’ request of high-quality crops, and more besides for Pierre. Kay gathered up just over two dozen of the root vegetables, wiping off the clumps of dirt clinging to them before depositing them in her backpack. She barely noticed the rain as she worked, and while her clothes became suitably soaked after a while, it was an unusually warm rain for the spring. She stopped to tilt her head towards the heavens, letting the rain wash over her and enjoying the moment of tranquility.

Melvyn looked over his shoulder at the farmer and smiled. She’d been coiled like a spring all yesterday, likely due to her sisters’ correspondence, and he was glad she’d found a way to unwind it. Granted, he certainly didn’t need to be party to said unwinding, but it could have been worse: they could have been completely naked and fucking over the railing. Then he would have been _very_ embarrassed as opposed to _pretty_ embarrassed.

He turned back to the silo and saw it pulse with the newly reclaimed life-force. By the time Kay was finished, he estimated the arcane battery to be at about 5% capacity. The limiting wards placed all around the farm glowed slightly to his enhanced vision, and he verified that the system was primed and venting the stored energy slowly into the webway beyond.

Kay walked next to the wizard, backpack slung over her shoulder. “How are we doing?” she asked.

“We are all set.” Melvyn confirmed. “I’ll keep an eye on things from the tower, but you should be all set for the rest of the harvest. Um...” he hesitated for a moment. “About your test results.”

“Something wrong?” Kay asked.

Melvyn winced. “I can’t really determine if anything about you is different from normal. You’ve got so much magic flowing through you at any given time, I don’t know what’s supposed to be there and what isn’t. Maybe once I get more training under my belt, I can do it, but not yet. I’m really sorry.”

Kay was a little disappointed but not really surprised. “I appreciate you trying, anyway, don’t beat yourself up over it. Can you come by tomorrow?” Kay asked, hefting her pack. “There’s going to be a lot tomorrow, I’d rather be sure we aren’t overloading something.”

Melvyn nodded. “Of course! Take care.”

They set off in opposite directions. Kay wanted to walk the mountain before heading in to town. Luna and the ravens watched her go.

“Caw-caw,” Apollo said, tilting his head.

“Caw,” Zeus disagreed.

Luna said nothing. She knew they would have to wait and see.


	7. Harvest Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visitor helps the harvest, Kay traverses the mines and makes some new animal friends, and Maru stays over.

Spring 9, Year 1 (Continued)

Kaylia had a lot on her mind as she walked up the mountain road. The incoming major harvest, the first round of which sat in her backpack, was an important milestone in establishing herself and the farm. The money she’d receive for the crops would go right back into the farm, and she knew Pierre Chandler, the general store owner, could get very good prices for the quality produce she could provide. Paradoxically, those prices were lower than those of the local JojaMart, whose shelves swelled with a wide selection and ready supply (or so Kay assumed, she hadn’t set foot in the place).

In a strange way, Kay’s experience as a military commander was extremely helpful in understanding the supply and logistics problems Pelican Town faced. As lovely a place as it was, the town was quite a distance from Zuzu City, the nearest metropolitan area, which meant long shipping times, increased shipping fees, and exaggerated effects from delays. The town could therefore benefit greatly from a local source of food and sundries, especially if the local supply outstripped demand and allowed for exports. That was a ways out of reach for the moment; Kay would need to figure out some form of automated irrigation at the very least before she could scale to that level of production.

Kay stopped to pick a few leeks growing at the side of the road as she considered the other issues at hand. The background magic situation, for one, was more of a long-term problem but worrisome nonetheless. The valley coursed with mystical energy, which had appreciable effects on all aspects of life there. The rapid crop maturity, for one, allowing roots and vegetables to reach harvest weight in a fraction of the time normally required. Kay suspected her fast friendships might also be attributed to the webway (the local wizard’s term for the network of leylines and magical hotspots running through the valley). She _certainly_ didn’t expect to have a girlfriend a week into her tenure, nor to have had as many sexual encounters as she did. The joke amongst her new friends was that she worked very quickly, indeed, and Kay suspected the valley itself may have had a hand in it.

A girlfriend. Abigail Chandler was funny, gorgeous, and caring, and she and Kay had exchanged the L-word in the depths of their passion the evening previous. Like Kay, Abby was intersex, having been born with both male and female sets of genitalia; unlike Kay, Abby came by her attributes naturally (honestly, as it were), while Kay had been magically engineered as such. They had bonded over their similar bodies emotionally, and those bonds had deepened beyond mere friendship in a short amount of time. It scared Kay a little, as those feelings came very close to how she felt about her sister, Zoria.

Maybe that was why Kay declined to read Zoria’s letter last night; prevented by the guilt of having found someone that might share Kay’s life the way she’d intended Z would, if she hadn’t disappeared on her last assignment. No, that wasn’t right, was it. Astria had revealed that Zoria wanted to escape the Gotoro Empire exactly as Kay had, and the deep cover assignment was a ruse to get her out. Communication had ceased because it was her plan to melt into the Republic, to forge a new life free of the Empire’s control. Unlike Kay, however, Z was a shapeshifter and an empath. Trying to find her after three years’ head start would be impossible.

Kay eventually rounded the bend behind the Wright household and started towards the mountain lake. Off to her right, standing under the large tree in the clearing, stood an older man with shaggy white hair and beard in clothes made from preserved foliage. He leaned against the tree, enjoying the rain and the sounds of the mountain. Kay had met the man as he was foraging for food in the town’s garbage cans one evening. Of all the people Kay had met thus far, he was by far the most interesting.

“Good morning, Linus!” she called. He jumped with a start and looked about ready to bolt for his tent until he saw it was Kay addressing him. He smiled warmly and waved. Kay walked over.

“Wonderful morning,” he said as Kay approached. “Nothing better to get clean than a nice, warm rain.”

“I would have expected it to be a bit colder this early in the year.” Kay commented, receiving a nod from Linus.

“It was a fairly mild winter, not surprising the rain would follow suit.”

On a whim, Kay reached into her pack to offer the man one of the leeks she’d picked up on her way. “Any interest in some fresh forage?”

Linus’s face fell. “Thank you, it looks excellent, but I don’t really have anything to trade at the moment.”

The admission touched Kay, she hadn’t even considered compensation. “Please, take it. You probably would have found it if I hadn’t, anyway.”

Linus looked at Kay, searching her face. She was a tall one, alright, but she didn’t read as taking pity or being concerned about him and his lifestyle. He also got a good vibe from her, like she could be trusted, and he almost _never_ got that feeling from anyone. He reached out and accepted the offered vegetable.

“Thank you, this is great!”

“You’re welcome!” They smiled and wandered over to Linus’s tent. The large yellow camping tent had seen much better days, with evidence of being patched multiple times over the years. The design resonated with Kay for some reason, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

“A little bird told me you’re getting ready to harvest,” Linus said, deftly starting a fire in a pit dug out in front of the tent.

“Yeah, I’ve actually got the first wave with me now, I’m taking it over to Pierre’s,” Kay said. “Eventually.” she added under her breath. She needed to make a deposit first.

“I heard a lot of good things about those parsnips,” Linus remarked, retreating into his tent and returning with a beat-up cooking pot and a few more leeks. He filled it with rainwater from a nearby barrel and set it on the banked fire. Kay was suitably impressed with the man’s industry, she knew from experience how difficult starting a fire in the rain was, much less keeping it going.

“They seemed to do alright.” She continued watching as Linus produced a pocket knife and proceeded to slice the leeks in half. The knife must have been razor sharp, as Linus made quick work of the alliums. After slicing each in half, he dunked them in the rain barrel, swirling them around to dislodge any dirt trapped in their layers. He then took the halves and chopped them into the pot.

“You look like you’ve done some field cooking,” Kay joked.

“I might have done,” Linus replied with a wink. He used a stick to stir the pot, and it rapidly came to a boil. Kay smiled, the mountain man was well-versed in this sort of life and enjoying himself.

“I should get going,” Kay said, turning to take her leave. “Let me know how the soup turns out.”

“I will,” Linus nodded with a wave.

Kay began her descent down the mountain, heading back the way she came and turning to walk past the Wright’s house. She could hear the faint sounds of morning activity from within, nothing distinct. She wondered if Haley was there, or if Maru _wasn’t_ there.

*****

“Honestly, I think it looks amazing on you.”

Haley and Emily sat with coffee mugs on their living room couch, watching Maru as she modeled a new maxi dress. Maru’s figure filled out the dress nicely, but the main attraction (especially to Haley) was the deeply plunging neckline.

“I think it looks obscene,” Maru said, turning to look herself over in the trifold mirror. Maru’s H-cup breasts were barely contained by the thin strips of black and shiny gold material, tied behind Maru’s neck. The very edges of her areola peeked out at the sisters, and the neckline displayed generous amounts of side-boob as well as the deep valley of her cleavage. They also bobbed and swayed in the otherwise elegant garment with even the barest movement. She did like how it complemented her toned butt and thighs, but the top was definitely not acceptable for public viewing.

“Sorry, Haley,” Emily said with a laugh, “I agree. A bra might help, but that dress would look terrible with one. Thank you for trying it on for me, Maru.”

Haley slumped back on the couch as Maru went to change out of the slinky dress. “I guess,” she said, disappointed.

“It’ll look amazing on you when it’s finished, though,” Emily said, comforting her sister. “It’s just not designed for someone of Maru’s...”

“Carriage?” Maru said from Haley’s room. Emily laughed, she liked the way Maru framed things.

“She’s talking about your massive tits, babe.” Haley said. As much as she hated to admit it, Haley knew Maru would be much more comfortable with something that didn’t accentuate her bust. She turned to Emily. “What about something off-shoulder with a midi skirt?”

Emily nodded. “That would work, I think.” She picked up a nearby sketch pad to rough out some ideas. Eventually, Maru returned to sit next to Haley, wearing her usual t-shirt and denim overalls. Emily turned the pad around to display a simple number as Haley described.

“Yeah, that looks nice!” Maru agreed. She looked at Haley for a moment. “Maybe it could have a little boob window? Just a little one,” she added, forestalling Haley’s enthusiastic agreement. Emily laughed as she made the small adjustment to the sketch.

“I think that’s very sensible.”

Maru looked at the sketches spread out over the coffee table. Emily was super talented, and the vast array of ideas spoke to the elder Carter’s deep interest in fashion design. Dresses of every sort were represented on the table, and Maru was very impressed by the level of artistry on display. One sketch, in particular, caught Maru’s eye, and she picked it up to give it a closer look.

“Oh, wow,” she said, “this one is so pretty. What’s it called?”

Haley looked at the drawing. “That’s a cheongsam, Emmy calls it a qipao. I don’t really care for the silhouette, but it’s super striking on the right kind of figure.”

“That’s going to be my next big project,” Emily added, “once I can afford to start it.”

As drawn, the dress conformed to the model’s body, with long slits along either side of the skirt to show off the legs and allow for a wider range of movement. The top had short sleeves and a high collar that secured in front of the neck with a round broach. The body of the dress would embroidered with a stylized Imperial-style dragon, soaring amongst clouds and roaring at the viewer.

“I know who this is for,” Maru said, looking at Emily. “It’s going to be red and gold, right?” Emily blushed, nodding in response. Haley sat up to look more closely at the design.

“Wait, who is it for?” she asked, getting a peck on the cheek from Maru in response.

“Come on, Hale,” Maru teased, “it looks just like her mailbox.”

*****

There had been plenty of parsnips to fill the Junimos’ order, with enough besides to turn small profit. Kay decided to take the time and make notes of everything the Junimos wanted currently; the last time she’d visited, she’d only had time to check out a few of the lists before she started feeling super drowsy. This knowledge would not only help with crop planning in the future, but also things to keep an eye out for while foraging or fishing.

Kay also noticed differences in how the requests were structured. The seasonal crops wanted one of every major crop available in a given season (the spring bundle, for example, needed a parsnip, a potato, a head of cauliflower, and some green beans). The request for artisan goods, however, had a list of a dozen different fruits and crafted items, but only required six of them for completion. There were similar differences between requests in the activity room and in front of the fish tank. Kay made a further note to have a chat with Willy, the bait shop owner, for better intel on how and where to catch the fish the Junimo were after.

After finishing her notes, Kay wandered the community center for a bit. Even though the place was thoroughly trashed, she could still get a sense of how important the place had been to the town. It was fairly easy to picture Mayor Lewis sitting behind the ruined desk in the office, Gus and Pierre arguing over recipes in the kitchen area, Willy tending the fish tank and constantly mentioning that one time he caught a fish _this big._ Kay caught herself laughing at the thought, until the present reality reminded her of the long road ahead. Maybe the Junimo could help spruce the place up after they got what they needed, she thought.

Kay picked up her backpack and left the center, heading down the hill towards Pierre’s. The rain had picked up a little, and Kay was again fairly drenched as she rounded the corner to the shop. She saw Jodi Freeman posting a bill on the message board before darting inside. Kay decided to take a quick look: _Does anyone have an extra Parsnip?_ Kay laughed as she pulled the request down. It was clearly Jodi’s lucky day.

Kay pushed the door to Pierre’s open and nearly bumped into Jodi. Before she could apologize, her attention was drawn to the counter by an angry voice.

“I told you, I’m not interested!”

Pierre was confronting Morris, the local Joja Corporation representative. The tall man was wearing his usual black suit with that ridiculous oversize red bow tie. He passed his hand through his side parted pompadour and smiled. “Pierre, my good man,” he said, his voice at once soothing and grating, “I appreciate your gumption, it’s that exact spirit that makes this great land of ours what it is. But face facts. You can only hold on for so long with what little business you can scrounge up, but Joja can make you AND she very wealthy indeed if you’d only see reason...”

Kay had one encounter with Morris the previous week, when he’d waltzed into the shop and stole all of Pierre’s customers with 50% off coupons. She’d had a visceral reaction to the sleazy tactic, and here he was again, trying to win Pierre over to Joja’s side of things with some kind of business offer. She looked at Jodi, who was clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

“Hey,” Kay whispered, startling Jodi. The brunette turned to Kay, who raised her finger to her lips. “Stick around for a bit, I have something for you later.” Casually, she walked over to the counter and cleared her throat.

“Gentlemen,” she said, nodding to Pierre and giving Morris a glance out of the corner of her eye.

“Ah!” Morris said, “The woman of the hour! Jacob Morris, Joja Corporation Representative, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.”

“ _Formally_ , no,” Kay corrected him, “but we did pass a few words last week.” At her full height, Kay easily had a few inches on the man, though not as many as she would have liked.

“Indeed we did!” Morris replied, laughing off their previous interaction. “I’m lucky I caught you, actually. As I was saying, Joja is in a position to purchase your upcoming harvest in its entirety, and I asked Mr. Chandler here if he’d be interested in brokering a deal with you for a generous finder’s fee. Unfortunately,” Morris continued, his voice taking on a slight edge, “he declined to assist me in approaching you. However, here you are, so there’s no reason we can’t speak directly.”

Kay stared at the man, shocked by the incredible gall of trying to undercut Pierre to his face. She asked Pierre “Est-il sérieux?” She wagered the corporate shill wouldn’t understand French, though given how he was dressed, she wasn’t completely sure.

Pierre stifled a grin before replying. “Comme une crise cardiaque.”

Morris’s smile faded a little and his eyes flitted between them, confirming Kay’s suspicion. She left him to hang a little longer, turning to face the shopkeeper. “Qu'a-t-il proposé?”

“Huit cents pour moi, huit mille pour vous.”

“Au moins, il vous a offert dix pour cent. Voyons ce qui se passe.” Kay pursed her lips before turning back to Morris. “What would I have to do?”

“Nothing! I’ve taken the liberty of having a new shipping box installed on your farm. Just drop the harvest in, and we’ll compensate you directly.” Morris smirked, they always saw things his way eventually.

Pierre glared at Kay. “You can’t possibly be-”

Kay cut him off with a raised hand. “Well, Mr. Morris, let me think about it and I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”

“Of course!” Morris gave Kay a short bow. “I look forward to working with you!” He turned to give Pierre another nasty smirk. “Good day, Mr. Chandler. So sorry we couldn’t work something out.” He turned on his heel and practically strutted out of the store.

As the door closed behind Morris, Jodi rushed over. “You’re not actually going to sell to JojaMart, are you?” Kay looked at Pierre before letting out the snicker she’d been repressing.

“Of course not!” Pierre looked visibly relieved; Kay might have been play-acting, but he couldn’t tell. “Oh my Goddess,” Kay continued, “the chrome-plated _balls_ on that guy! Oh, uh, sorry, Jodi.”

Jodi laughed. “I’m married to a soldier, I’ve heard far worse, trust me.”

Kay placed her pack on the counter and produced a parsnip. “Pour vous, mademoiselle, as requested.”

Jodi gasped. “I just posted that! How did you know?”

Kay waggled her eyebrows. “Magic.” She accepted a small pouch of gold in exchange for the root veggie.

“Oh, so now _you’re_ undercutting me!” Pierre said with a laugh. Jodi stuck her tongue out at the shopkeeper.

“Maybe if you’d held on to one for me _like I asked,_ I wouldn’t have to prevail upon tall, buxom strangers for assistance!” Jodi responded.

“They sold like hotcakes! You know it’s first come, first served around here!” Kay realized this wasn’t the first time the pair had this argument. She was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Jodi wrapped herself around Kay’s left arm and sighed dramatically. “Oh, Kay, you’re the only one who can save the town from the rampant avarice of this cruel, callous businessman!”

Kay laughed to cover her slight embarrassment at how thoroughly she enjoyed Jodi’s soft curves pressing against her: Jodi had sizable breasts hidden under her pink cardigan, and her mom jeans accentuated her generous booty. She smelled faintly of maple syrup, and Kay caught a warm undercurrent in her deep violet eyes as she looked up pleadingly.

“Fear not, madam,” Kay responded, “as long as I’m here to provide quality produce at reasonable prices, scum like him will never prosper!”

“What.” Abigail said flatly. She had come from the stock room with a crate of paper towels and had seen the entire drama between Kay, Jodi, and her father unfold. She had to bite down on her tongue to not laugh as Kay hurriedly extracted herself from Jodi’s embrace. She couldn’t stop a snort as Kay then completely failed to nonchalantly lean against the counter.

“Hi, Abby!” Kay said more loudly than she needed. “We’re just talking about your dad being a financial leech on the town.” She got a smack in the arm from Pierre as he started checking out Jodi’s other purchases.

Abby smiled before pointedly glancing at Jodi and giving Kay a wink and a thumbs up. Kay shook her head and gave the purple-haired girl her second most intimidating glare to no real effect. Luckily, the ring of the cash register distracted them both as Pierre bagged up Jodi’s items.

“Thanks for stopping by!” he said, handing Jodi her items.

“Thank you!” she responded, turning to Kay. “And thank you for the parsnip! Any word on the cauliflower?”

“Should be ready in a few days, I’m looking forward to that curry you mentioned.” Kay smiled and bowed graciously as Jodi left with a light spring in her step. Abby smirked as she started unpacking the paper towels into their appointed shelves.

“You know,” Pierre said imperiously, “when I was a lad, it was considered proper to focus one’s attention on a single paramour at a time.” Abby laughed out loud as Kay turned her number two glare on the shopkeeper.

“Come on! I’ve only been here a week! Why does everyone think I’m constantly on the make?” Kay said. It _was_ getting a little ridiculous. She emptied her parsnips into a waiting crate on the counter.

“You mean you aren’t?” Pierre responded, chuckling as he took the crate and headed back to the stock room. “Give me a minute to look through these.”

“He’s got a point,” Abby said, continuing to fill and straighten the shelves. “Assuming you haven’t done anything with Leah, I can think of three girls you’ve exchanged some kind of intimacy with, and I can think of at least two more you’d like to add to that list. Maybe the valley is having an effect on you, too.” Kay kept her trap shut, lest she reveal that she _had_ been intimate with Leah, though in a very specific way, and that there were _four_ other women she’d like to get to know better.

It was a valid point, however. “Maybe you’ve got something there,” she said. “Melvyn said he couldn’t tell where my magic ends and the valley’s starts. It’s possible I’m more easily affected by whatever turns on the hormones around here, and I wouldn’t know it if the energy can blend in with my own.”

Abby finished stocking the shelves and walked over to Kay, wrapping her arms around the farmer’s waist. “I _hope_ you’re not implying that last night was a sham.” Kay could see a bit of genuine hurt in Abby’s eyes. She tilted Abby’s head up and kissed her gently, wiping away a tear.

“Of course not,” she replied, “I feel very strongly for you.”

“Do you loooooooooove me?” Abby asked with a grin.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it, I take things like that seriously.”

“Then say it again.”

Kay looked deeply into Abby’s eyes. “I love you, Abigail Chandler,” she said without hesitation. She felt her heart leap a bit as she said it. The grin vanished from Abby’s face, overtaken by a look of fierce emotion.

“I love you, Kaylia Gardner,” she responded. She raised her lips to Kay’s and sealed their declarations with a kiss. A series of loud coughs signaled Pierre’s return, and Kay disentangled from Abby.

“Right,” Pierre said, the antique register on the counter dinging as he totaled Kay’s offering up. “That fertilizer must be working wonders, those parsnips are much higher quality on average.”

“I’m glad, I wasn’t sure it would actually work.” Pierre nodded, handing Kay a slip with the total price she’d brought in.

“Need anything before you cash out?”

Kay nodded. “Spuds. As many as this will buy.” Pierre smirked as he pulled a box of seed packets from under the counter and handed it to Kay.

“I figured you might. Let’s see Morris anticipate a customer’s needs like that.”

Kay smirked, accepting the box and turning to Abby. “I should get going,” she said, and Abby nodded.

“Have a good day! Think sexy things about me!” Pierre rolled his eyes.

“Count on it.” Kay smiled as she left, seeming to walk on air.

*****

With the rain saving a bit of effort watering the fields, and with the local fortune-teller’s pronouncement of favorable tides (“The spirits are _very_ happy today!”), Kay decided another trip to the mine was in order. She returned to the farm and made quick work of spreading the potato seeds where the parsnips had been previously. That task done, she picked up her pickaxe, sword, and a few field snacks before taking another trip up the mountain. All of the walking and various farm-related activities were keeping her in the best shape of her life, and she was sure she wouldn’t be the only one to appreciate the results.

Kay took the elevator down to level 10, the furthest she’d gone on her last visit, and climbed down the ladder in the corner. She noted the air growing slightly warmer and more humid as she descended. The walls and floor of the cavern were dotted with plant life, and small pools of water gathered throughout. It was little wonder the local ecosystem was growing out of control with such conditions. Luckily, the local Adventurer’s Guild found a ready solution in a 6’ 3” former general with a lot of negative emotions to work out.

Kay made quick progress through the mines, subduing all manner of slimes, bugs, and aggressive moles. Most were easily dispatched, but there was a particular species of rock-armored crab that proved a bit tricky. They were fairly adept at hiding behind their rocky shells, deflecting any attack that struck them whilst so protected. Eventually, Kay got fed up and took to smashing them with her pickaxe, the tool making short work of the armor. This method proved especially helpful in harvesting the crabs themselves, which meant one more checkbox for the Junimos.

She reached floor 20 with a pack laden with copper ore, stone, coal, a fair amount of bug parts (she figured they would make excellent fishing bait), a selection of minerals and precious stones, a specimen of some sort of subterranean carrot, and a few crabs. Like on the tenth floor, there was a red chest awaiting her, but this floor also had an underground pond. She wandered over to look into the pool and saw a number of large, translucent fish flitting about below the surface. _Might be worth fishing a few up some time,_ Kay thought. She returned to the chest and kicked it open to reveal an actual metal sword. It was shorter than her current wooden one (though not by much), its edge appeared keen enough, and the balance was excellent. She slung her current weapon over her shoulder and secured the new blade at her side before continuing her descent.

Around floor 22, Kay detected a shift in the air. As she stepped off the ladder, she was immediately assaulted by one of the biggest slimes she’d ever seen. Her keenly tuned battle senses and reflexes were all that prevented her from being absorbed by the massive creature. It was at least as tall as she was, possibly twice as big around as it was tall. Kay had heard of such specimens forming in established slime colonies, but she’d never expected to actually see one. She drew her sword and lined up to hit the thing as it lurched towards her. Before she could strike, she noticed something floating within the amorphous form.

“Is... is that _cake?!_ ” she said aloud. True enough, the round form of an intact cake was held suspended within the slime’s body. The momentary pause allowed the slime to form a long tentacle and lash out. Kay deftly parried the blow and counterattacked, slashing a deep rift in the slime’s body that slowly healed itself. Deciding offense was better than defense, Kay struck the giant slime again and again, becoming a whirl of steel as she whittled the thing down to constituent atoms. She eventually pinned it against a wall and proceeded to beat the tar out of it until it finally lost cohesion and dissolved into a large green puddle.

Kay looked down at the now-freed cake. It was a multi-layer affair, delicately coated with pink frosting, dotted with berries and conversation heart candies along the outer edge of the cake’s surface, and decorated with a large fondant rose in the center. The cake looked to be free of slime, and appeared to survive its imprisonment none the worse for wear. She was flabbergasted; setting aside the alarming metaphysical quandaries raised by this “cave cake” for the moment, there was no way it would fit inside her backpack without sustaining at least moderate structural damage.

As she regarded this befuddling mystery, Kay’s ears pricked up at a loud buzzing rapidly approaching from the south. A number of the large flies Kay had encountered previously were zooming towards her, no doubt with mischief on their minds. Kay leaned over to pick the cake up and held it waitstaff-style in her left hand as she turned to engage the insectoid horde.

What followed were two of the most physically and mentally taxing hours of Kay’s life. After mowing her way through a veritable army of slimes and bugs, Kay traversed two more floors of the mines with a severe handicap. She thanked the Goddess for the magnetic mounts on her toolbelt, allowing her to switch between her sword and pickaxe with relative ease, because attempting to sheathe either item while holding a large, brightly-decorated cake would have been nigh impossible. The cake needed constant shepherding, effectively tying one of her arms behind her back. Also, the monster population (the slimes particularly) seemed obsessed with that cake, and their assaults seemed endless. Really, Kay should have left the cake where it was ( _I mean, who eats_ _ **found**_ _cake_ , she caught herself thinking), but the task became something of a mania: she’d be _damned_ if she let some green puddle of goop lay its greasy, on-demand appendages on her sugary prize.

Somehow, she and the cake made it unscathed to the elevator on the 25th floor. As yet another wave of flying insects barreled towards her, Kay dashed into the elevator, hit the button for the top floor, and enjoyed the sound to splattering bugs against the doors as they closed in the nick of time. As the elevator climbed, Kay was finally able to take a whiff of the delectable treat. The scent filled her nose, and she recoiled in horror and abject defeat at the cloying odor.

“No... no!” she wailed. The incredible effort, the sweat and burning muscles, the endless legions of the monster kingdom, all for nothing. The single sniff told the tale: this cake was worthless to her. “FUCKING MELON.”

Kay _hated_ pink melon.

*****

Maru generally stayed inside when it rained, but something drove her to hang out on her balcony that evening. She had an awning to divert the water away from her and her research material, and the sound of rainfall in the evening was very soothing. It wasn’t the best soundtrack for a technical dissertation on common trends in modern neural network design, and Maru found her mind wandering more often than not. So it was no surprise when she heard loud grumbling coming from behind the house and heading along the mountain road. She peaked her head around the side of the house to see if she could hear it better.

“...stupid mine ecology... ugh, so many bug parts... how does a slime even _get_ cake?!”

Maru smiled as she saw Kay emerge and head west down the road towards the farm, carrying an overloaded backpack and a cake for some reason. She quickly swung herself over the balcony railing and climbed down the reinforced trellis attached to the side of the house. “Excuse me, miss!” she called, practically running to intercept the farmer and wishing she’d left her bra on.

Kay turned to see Maru jogging over, the girl’s impressive endowment completely unmoored and bouncing frantically underneath her shirt. Kay started to laugh and immediately regretted it; it hurt to move, much less laugh. She did feel better for Maru’s presence.

“Miss Wright,” she said, bowing her head.

“Miss Gardner,” Maru replied, curtsying. “May I escort you home? I could do with a walk and I hate to see a lovely maiden alone on so treacherous a thoroughfare.”

“An honor and a pleasure, my good woman, I would be delighted of your company.”

Maru fell in alongside Kay as she resumed her slow pace. She was clearly sore from her exertions, and Maru deduced Kay had spent the day in the mines. Her curiosity swiftly got the better of her.

“So, what’s with the cake?”

“UGH,” Kay replied, causing Maru to giggle involuntarily, “this thing. Some giganto slime king had this in its... body? I sliced it to ribbons and this was the reward. I regret ever laying eyes on it.”

“Why? It looks pretty tasty.”

Kay sent a withering glare at Maru as she responded. “It’s _melon cake_.” Her voice dripped with disdain.

“Oh wow! And a big slime had it?”

“Yeah, AND every last Goddess-damned creature in that mine wanted it for themselves, I had to carry it like this down three floors and then to the elevator fighting them off the whole way.”

Maru knew that the local monster population was surging for some reason, and it was good someone was doing something about it, but she felt bad for Kay having to go through all of that for what amounted to a booby prize. A thought occurred to her, and Maru smiled.

“Well, at least you have something for Haley’s birthday.”

Kay raised an eyebrow. “When’s her birthday?”

“Sunday,” Maru replied, “and she _adores_ pink cake. If you have a way of keeping that chilled, you should give it to her.”

The idea had merit, and Kay was glad the whole day’s enterprise wasn’t a total loss. Granted, she also had a veritable fortune in ore and gems in her pack, but after that gauntlet, it seemed poor compensation.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Kay said, thanking Maru for the insider tip.

Their walk was slow but very pleasant. Kay described the current conditions of the mine, answering Maru’s questions about the ecology as best she could. She eventually turned the conversation around and listened with interest as Maru described her current robotics project. Kay loved the way Maru’s face lit up when she got going on a topic that truly interested her, and she was happy to give the young scientist every opportunity to gush about her passions. Internally, Kay made a note to engineer similar opportunities for Abby; she knew far too little about Miss Chandler’s interests and wanted to rectify that.

Their conversation grew livelier as they rounded the last bend and the farm came into view.

“But, so what if a machine can think the same way that we do?” Kay asked. “That feels like a terrible idea! What happens when it gets depressed, or angry? What if it decides humanity needs to die to avenge the death of the English Language?”

Maru laughed. Kay’s points were valid, in a mildly deranged sort of way. “That would be terrible, yes, but that’s not really the point. If we could develop an artificial intelligence that developed and functioned in the same fashion as a human brain, build something that’s able to think and reason and deduce and form opinions, what might that say about how human brains work?”

Kay frowned. “I don’t think the human thought process can be likened to machine code that easily.”

Maru nodded. “Certainly, but it would speak to the nature of the human mind as a sort of organic computer, and maybe the techniques we use to condition or repair an artificial intelligence could be adapted to help people with cognitive disorders or design therapies for mental trauma.”

The conversation wound down as they approached the farm cabin. There were five chests now lined up in front of the porch, and Kay went to the second from the right. It contained a few odd pieces of forage, some spare clams, and a parsnip she’d held back from the morning’s harvest. She carefully lowered the cake into the chest, glad that there was plenty of space for it, and noticed that the interior of the chest seemed much colder than the exterior.

“That’s odd...” she said absentmindedly. Maru got closer to take a look as well.

“Wait, it’s refrigerated?” she asked. Kay shrugged her shoulders.

“I guess. None of the other chests are like this. Maybe something to do with the webway?”

Maru shivered a little as Kay closed the chest. Magic was still very much alien to her, even after Melvyn’s explanations.

“At least everything will keep in there.”

Kay dropped her pack on the porch and rubbed her eyes. In addition to being sore, she was starting to feel exhausted. The day had been a big one, and an even bigger one was in the offing tomorrow.

Maru approached Kay, her heart starting to beat faster. “Miss Gardner, before I take my leave of you, I wonder if I may kiss you.”

Kay smiled. “You may.”

Wrapping their arms around each other, Kay and Maru kissed. Kay ignored her soreness as their bodies came together, their tongues dancing in each others’ mouths as Maru’s wonderfully soft boobs pressed into Kay’s chest. They moaned softly as Maru’s hand drifted down first to grab Kay’s toned butt, then to gently caress Kay’s hardening member through her leggings.

“Oh, Miss Gardner,” Maru whispered, gazing into Kay’s molten red eyes, “I cannot wait until I may next wrap my lips around your wonderful cock. I yearn to again take you in my warm mouth and swallow your lovely spend.”

Kay smirked in response. “Of course, Miss Wright, though I believe propriety and fairness insist I drink deeply of your precious nectar before allowing you to do so.”

Maru smiled and kissed Kay deeply, hugging her tightly. Kay groaned, this time in pain rather than pleasure as a sharp stab traversed her ribs. Maru immediately released the elven goddess. “Oh, I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?”

Kay shook her head. “I think I overdid it trying to save that stupid cake. I really hope Haley appreciates it.”

“She will. She’ll want to show you how much, I guarantee it.” Maru backed off a step to take her leave, but stopped as a glint in the corner of her eye caught her attention. “Hey, is that a new shipping container?”

Kay wheeled and saw the blue box emblazoned with the Joja Corporation logo sitting right in front of the original shipping box. She growled involuntarily.

“It sure is, and it reminds me of something on my to-do list.”

She went to the tool chest and pulled out the axe. Her exhaustion didn’t seem so debilitating at the moment, supplanted by quiet rage. Maru quickly connected the dots and smiled.

“Need a hand?”

*****

The rain had picked up a bit as midnight approached, but it didn’t seem to bother the dark figure that slowly descended from the night sky. It landed just beyond the boundary of Red Dragon Farm, gracefully dismounting the broom that carried it there. The rain seemed to avoid the figure, and its black robes remained dry as it walked through the protective wards onto the farm proper. After a moment, it reached up to lower the hood of its cloak, revealing a beautiful feminine face with long, lustrous black hair and deep emerald skin.

The woman looked around at the farm and nodded approvingly at the occupant’s efforts thus far. She had come to see the rapid development for herself, the change in energy patterns detectable even from her far-off shack. A large portion of farmland had been cleared, and a number of crops were planted and approaching maturity. Of greater interest were the renewed wards as well as a host of other magical enhancements. It didn’t take her long to determine their function, her vision tuned to the magical warp and weft of the valley. She followed the leylines in their delicate patterns throughout the farm, noting the patterns of restriction and redirection. The work was... unrefined, but otherwise effective. The enchantments on the nearby silo were even more so, the new construction serving as a magical storage tank with a fair amount of energy already present.

Nearby, her sensitive hearing detected the gentle sounds of the farm’s occupant in a deep slumber. The robed figure smiled, it saved her the effort of reinforcing that sleep to remain uninterrupted. She walked towards the cabin, her broom following dutifully behind, and made soft kissing noises. This attracted the attention of Luna, the farm’s calico cat, and she leapt up onto the porch railing to greet the visitor.

“Good evening!” she said quietly, reaching out to pet the cat endearingly.

“Hello, mistress!” Luna greeted her, purring in response to the physical affection. “I was wondering when you would come visit!”

The woman smiled, scratching Luna behind her ears. “Of course. I’d hoped to be able to communicate with you, but the binding laid upon this place prevents it, even in its depleted state. How fare you here?”

“Quite well, mistress! The new owner of this place is so friendly and warm! She took me in as soon as I arrived and made me feel so welcome! She’s so pretty!”

The woman chuckled at her familiar’s enthusiastic report. “It gladdens me to know you are not ill-treated. What manner of woman is she?”

“She’s tall, and she has sparkly silver hair, and she’s got big muscles, and she’s shaped almost like you are! She’s been making a lot of friends, and I think she’s going to have a lot of _special_ friends real soon.”

The woman shook her head at Luna, the cat had always been an incurable gossip. It made her the perfect agent for this task, after all.

“Has she spoken of her origins?”

Luna nodded. “She has, mistress! She told her friends about herself after she got all that mail from the Empire.”

“The Empire?!”

“Yes! She’s from there! She’s a Bladesister, I think is what she called herself.”

This was most unwelcome news. “What is her name, my pet?”

“Kaylia! Kaylia Gardner!”

This revelation stole the woman’s breath from her lungs. Kaylia the Red was one of the most fearsome combatants in the world, a shrewd general and mistress of the Lance of the Cosmos. Those weapons didn’t just pick anyone to wield them, her misgivings that Imperial wizards had a hand in the binding notwithstanding.

“Why came she here?” she asked urgently.

“Oh, she ran away from home! She said she hated her job and wanted to do something else. She was friends with the people that owned this farm before, and they gave it to her, and now she’s here! She’s really working hard to make it a better place!”

She considered Luna’s words carefully. It seemed unthinkable that the Empire would just relinquish its control of a Bladesister without comment or reaction. Of course, that was before the Bladesisters were in complete control, as it seemed from what she had heard concerning the Emperor’s recent death. Looking around her, it was clear that Kaylia was making an honest effort at revitalizing the old Gardner farm, even taking their name to better represent the place’s history.

“You ask an awful lot of questions for a stranger,” a young male voice said. The woman jerked out of her thoughts and looked down to see a raven looking up at her expectantly.

“Why, hello there!” she said, greeting the young corvid. “And whom might you be?”

“I’m Apollo! I’m a raven, and I live in the nest by the wood pile! I help out with weeds and bugs and such.” He seemed a rather genial bird, and the woman nodded.

“Apollo,” a rather imperious voice said, “what have I told you about talking to the humans?”

“Yes, sir,” Apollo responded, “but she can understand me, so it’s different!”

“Nonetheless, she is a stranger here. I suggest you mind yourself and keep closer counsel.”

The woman turned and saw another raven, this one nested on top of the nearby scarecrow. It carried itself with a regal bearing, and the woman raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle.

“Oh, my utmost apologies, milord,” she responded, curtsying before the raven, “I had no idea my trespass caused you concern. I sought only to see this place and inquire after its master.”

The raven tilted its head. “Your deference does you credit, goodly woman. Know, then, that you stand in the presence of Zeus, Lord of the Potato Patch and protector of these lands, as so charged by Mistress Kaylia.”

“He’s kind of a jerk,” Luna said, drawing a censorious shushing from the raven.

“I assure you, milord, I shall not tarry here long. I thank you for your kind indulgence.”

“Not at all. Go in peace.” The raven settled back down into the nest to resume its dozing.

The woman smiled, turning back to Luna.

“You believe Kaylia is a boon to the valley, rather than bane?”

Luna again nodded. “Oh, yes, mistress! She’s already done so much to help! Those two girls don’t have to hide their relationship anymore, the purple-haired one seems a lot more confident in herself, and she’s even helping young master with his studies! Her sister is tutoring him now!”

“Melvyn has been here?” she asked in near-shock.

“Yes! It’s okay, though, he didn’t recognize me. He’s grown so big since I last saw him, and he seems to be doing really well! I can tell he cares about this place as much as Kay does.”

The woman closed her eyes and sighed. It had been years since she had last seen or spoken with her son, her villain of an ex-husband saw to that. Of course, Melvyn had been the one to lay in the enchantments and wards, likely with assistance from Kaylia’s sister Astria. To hear he was doing well, and trying to help the valley in ways his father never would...

Blinking tears from her eyes, she reached out to pick Luna up. The cat crawled into the woman’s arms and nuzzled her face.

“Oh, my darling Luna, your news lifts my heart in a way I thought lost to me. You have been most successful in your task here.”

“Thank you, mistress! Are you going back now?”

“I am, my pet. Shall you come with me? You may quit this place knowing your duty has been served.”

Luna nuzzled the woman again before responding. “Mistress, please don’t think that I’m ungrateful, but I’d like to stay here. Kaylia is so nice, and I really like being around her. And I made some friends, as well! Apollo is so much fun!” A playful “aw, thank you” sounded from near the wood pile. The cat turned a withering eye to Zeus. “The other one, not so much, but he’s tolerable.”

“Your words are as the breeze to my ears, you vacuous hellbeast,” Zeus responded.

The woman smiled. “If it be your wish, then I charge you to keep watch o’er this place and its mistress. Or mistresses, as it may soon be.”

“Thank you! Oh, thank you!” Luna started licking the woman’s face excitedly.

“Enough,” the woman laughed, gently setting the cat down before taking one last look around. She noticed that there would be a good amount of harvest on the morrow, but also that there were a number of crops not yet ready or even just planted. A mischievous grin formed on her face as she regarded the stored magic in the silo.

“Well,” she said, “as a gesture of goodwill, mayhaps I might make some small contribution to Mistress Gardner’s continued success.”

She reached out to the silo, expanding her senses and drawing the energy to her. A tendril of white energy stretched out from the silo to her hand, and it flowed through her body as she directed it at the crops not yet mature. The energy seeped into the ground with immediate effects, days of growth occurring in seconds. It took most of the silo’s reserve, but thankfully there was enough for one other spell.

Turning her gaze to the cabin, the woman’s vision easily pierced the walls to see Kaylia asleep in her bed. The woman found her breath again escaping, this time at a vision of unexpected, depthless beauty. Luna was maybe underselling Kay; her body and face were perfection in form, and the magical patterns flowing through that body were spellbinding. Pushing some enticing but temporarily unwanted thoughts aside, the woman gestured towards Kay. The remaining magical energy flowed through the cabin and into the Bladesister, enhancing her form ever so slightly as the enchantment blended with Kay’s being.

Her work done, she turned to the animals. “Please be patient with her, it may take her some time to appreciate her enhanced link with the land.” Luna and the ravens acknowledged the warning as she took her leave of them. Upon leaving the farm, she gestured to the broom and sat astride it, taking off into the air and towards home. Deep within her core, a fire she had long thought extinguished began to smolder and grow. It would seem that she, too, would have the Bladesister to thank at some later date for a gift she unknowingly bestowed. Almost certainly, her name would again cross the woman’s lips before the night was done.

*****

Spring 10, Year 1

Jacob Morris whistled merrily on his way the JojaMart front entrance. Today would mark another forward step in Joja’s bolstering of the community when they received the bounty of Red Dragon Farm. To the Joja rep, it was a slam dunk: they were the better distribution partner by far, and it was clear the delightful Miss Gardner understood that based on yesterday’s interaction. He made a note to send a complimentary JojaMart Premium Membership to the woman along with the proceeds of the harvest. Well, perhaps not totally complimentary.

As he neared the JojaMart entrance, he noticed a large pile of splintered wood off to the side. On further inspection, he saw parts of the otherwise blue-painted boards labeled with the Joja emblem. He rushed over and saw an envelope attached to the pile of rubble, “J. Morris” inscribed on the front. Morris grabbed the note and tore it open to read:

_To Mr. J. Morris, proprietor, Pelican Town JojaMart, and representative, Joja Corporation; Dear sir:_

_Having taken your position into consideration, with regret, it seems your terms are not acceptable._

_Regards,_   
_K. Gardner_   
_Owner, Red Dragon Farm_

*****

Kay sat up in her bed, the fog of sleep clearing too slowly for her taste. After carting the remains of the Joja shipping box back to where they belonged and escorting Maru home (receiving another round of make-outs and a few moments of boob access for her kindness), she had gone straight home and to bed. She was actually a little surprised she’d made it into the bed, exhausted and sore as she was, and became dead to the world as soon as her head hit the pillow. Now, though, that deep and uninterrupted slumber was more hindrance than help. Kay wished she had some coffee or, Goddess help her, some Alpine Rush to help shake the cobwebs out.

The sun had already risen by the time she’d roused herself enough to exit the cabin. She emerged naked, planning on throwing herself into the eastern pond and counting on the shock of the cold water to force her to wakefulness. Surprisingly, the deep soreness from yesterday’s excursion was gone. She took a moment to stretch, bending her limbs and contorting her body in an effort to wake up faster, but her dulled senses refused to sharpen. Even the spark of pleasure she would normally get from tweaking her large nipples was only faintly noticeable.

She walked through the fields of potatoes, parsnips, and cauliflower, past the trellises now heavy with green beans, before jumping in to the chill water. The water’s bracing effects were immediate, and Kay’s nerves came alive at the sensation of deep cold. She quickly climbed out of the pool and walked back to the cabin to dry off and get dressed.

It took her a moment to throw on her jeans and favorite baseball shirt, and another to grab her boots. While she was lacing up, Kay suddenly processed something she’d seen on the way to the pond. Huh, she thought, the green beans are in. Kay grabbed a field snack from the dining table and started munching it as she left the cabin to start the harvest. She nearly choked on it once she registered what she had seen and got a good look at the fields.

Everything was ready. The first potato patch and the smaller patch of parsnips, she had been expecting, but not the rest of it. The cauliflower, the green beans, even the potatoes she’d planted the day before; all were at harvest weight and ready to be plucked from the ground or stalk, as appropriate.

Kay felt something rubbing against her leg, and absentmindedly knelt down to pick up Luna and hold her against her chest. The calico cat purred as Kay stroked her soft fur and tried to make sense of everything.

“How is everything ready at once?” she asked aloud.

“I know, isn’t it wonderful, mistress?” Luna said.

“I mean, it’s convenient, but-” Kay blinked for a moment before looking at Luna.

“Good morning, mistress!” the cat said cheerfully.

One might have thought that Kaylia the Red, Peerless Tactician of the Gotoro Empire and magically engineered elven valkyrie of some 300 years, would have been prepared for something as ridiculous but otherwise comparatively mundane as a talking cat, but no. “Good morning,” Kay responded, just before she fainted dead away.

*****

A splash of cold water roused Kay from her unconsciousness. After a short coughing fit, she wiped her eyes clear and sat up. Melvyn the wizard knelt next to her, the watering can next to him on the ground. Nearby, Luna and the ravens looked on.

“Sleeping on the job?” Melvyn asked, his face wrinkled with concern.

Kay thought for a moment, trying to remember what caused her fainting spell. “Sort of,” she responded as she stood up. She took a moment to shake herself out, there didn’t appear to be any real damage from her fall.

“What happened?”

Kay shook her head. “I’m not sure. I got dressed and came out here, and I saw that the harvest was in, and then...” Her eyes widened as she remembered.

“I know!” Melvyn said, “I would have been shocked too! It wasn’t _all_ supposed to be ready today, right?”

“No, it wasn’t,” Kay replied, glancing at Luna. The calico sat up and smiled at her.

“Uh-huh. There’s something you need to see.” Melvyn reached into his black wizard’s robes and withdrew a red glasses case, offering it to Kay. “Here, put these on.”

Kay opened the case to find a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses. They were similar to those Melvyn had, but fashionable, without the additional smaller lenses on swing arms. The lenses themselves were very dark, almost opaque, and perfectly circular. With a slight nod of approval, Kay put the shades on and her vision darkened.

“Okay,” she said, “these are really nice and thank you, but, uh, are they supposed to do something?”

Melvyn nodded, pulling on his own ridiculous glasses. “Yeah. You have some kind of holo vision thing you can do, right?” Kay nodded. “Alright, try turning that on through the glasses.”

Kay shrugged and tried to do so. It took her a moment to figure out how to channel that ability through her new glasses, but she found her ability eventually “hooking in”, for lack of a better term. Once that happened, the glasses lit up, causing her to flinch.

“Whoa...” she said, her breath escaping in an amazed sigh. The farm was positively covered in a complex network of glowing lines and icons. Pulses of energy raced through the lines as they traveled about the farm. It reminded Kay a lot of the projections she would form over battle maps, but far more complex and frantic.

“Cool, huh?” Melvyn said. “Try to focus on the webway, that should help calm things down a bit.”

Kay did as Melvyn suggested, and most of the iconography disappeared, leaving the energy network. Scattered around were the limiting runes Melvyn had created previously, and many had channels redirecting energy to the silo. That structure in turn was linked directly to the main arteries leaving the farm towards the mountain, forest, and town. The silo itself appeared empty, which seemed wrong.

“Didn’t you say we had energy stored yesterday?” she asked.

“We did,” Melvyn said, pursing his lips as he cast his gaze around them. It was clear he was inspecting the runes and wards to explain how the energy got out. “I can’t figure it. I double-checked everything yesterday before I left, there weren’t any leaks or feedback that I could find. I mean, it’s pretty obvious where it went, but I don’t know how it got there.”

Kay turned again to the animals. They all seemed to be distracted by other things, and she got the sense they would all be whistling nonchalantly if they had the ability.

“It’s a puzzle, alright,” she said. “So, these glasses will let me see what you do?”

“Mostly. They aren’t as specialized as mine, but I figured you wouldn’t need anything that complicated. I mean, I can make them that detailed if you want, I don’t want to make assumptions about your level of magical skill-”

Kay laughed. “You’re okay, Mel, this is perfect.” She turned back to the crops. “I’m going to start harvesting, you’re welcome to stick around.”

“I probably should.” Mel responded.

Over the next few hours, Kay collected the various vegetables and depositing most of them in the shipping bin. She held some of the nicer specimens back for the community center and villager requests. As she worked, Melvyn watched the outflow of energy from the harvest cycle through the farm before ending up in the silo. As she was collecting the cauliflower, Kay remembered to ask about her “chest freezer.”

“Your _what?_ ” Melvyn asked.

“Second chest from the right,” she responded, pointing to the front of the cabin. Melvyn walked over to take a look, scratching his chin as he noticed tendrils of energy attached to it and the other chests. Slowly, he opened the chest to find it filled with perishable items, the interior deeply chilled.

“What?” he said, clearly baffled by the cloud of fog that emerged from the refrigerated container. “How is it... wait, is that a cake?”

“ **Don’t ask.** ” Kay responded. Her command voice just sort of popped on, and the wizard gulped.

Melvyn started following the thin stream of energy feeding into the chest back to its source. He knew he hadn’t set it up, and when he found it reached the silo, he had still more questions. After a moment, he turned back to Kay. “Beats me, boss. I’ll mention it to Astria, see what she thinks.”

Kay nodded as she continued her work. There was someone she wanted to ask, as well, but that could wait until after Mel left. No sense looking crazier than necessary.

They each continued their tasks in relative silence. Melvyn withdrew a small notepad and started jotting down notes as he went over the magical wards and leylines. Kay continued to carefully harvest the crops, finishing up the cauliflower and moving to the green beans. Her head started bobbing as a song popped into her head, and it wasn’t long before she was quietly humming to herself. Melvyn’s ears picked up when she started singing, and he watched her as he tried to place the tune.

_“Revolution in their minds  
The children start to march  
Against the world in which they have to live  
And all the hate that’s in their hearts  
They’re tired of being pushed around  
And told just what to do  
They’ll fight the world until they’ve won  
And love comes flowing through”_

Melvyn quickly recognized the song and was duly impressed. It was clear that Kay was singing without realizing she was singing, but that absentmindedness did nothing to blunt the beauty of her voice. Neither did it interfere with her farming; Kay flitted about the crops harvesting with an easy grace, the vegetables collected without undue damage or stress. If he didn’t know better, Melvyn could have sworn Kay had been doing this for years. In that moment, the wizard noted two things: that Kay was happy, and that this was likely where she needed to be.

“So, Black Sabbath, huh?” Melvyn asked, breaking Kay’s train of thought. “I don’t know if I pictured you as a headbanger.”

Kay snorted. “Oh yeah. Sabbath, Ozzy, Dio, Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Van Halen, Motley Crüe, Tool, Tears for Fears, Thomas Dolby, Jethro Tull, Genesis, U.K., King Crimson, National Health, Caravan...”

“Uh...” Melvyn replied, “I think you dropped off into a serious prog hole there.”

“That a problem?”

“Fuck, no, I _love_ National Health.”

*****

Pierre’s General Store was closed on Wednesdays. From the very beginning, Pierre Chandler knew that budgeting time outside of business hours for general shop maintenance would save a lot of trouble in the long run. He figured that the time saved during the rest of the week more than made up for the loss of business from a single day. Additionally, he and his family could relax for a bit and spend quality time together. _That_ was worth more than any profits he could achieve opening the store.

This particular Wednesday, he and Abigail were reviewing their current inventory and organizing the stockroom behind the shop. Caroline, his lovely wife and Abby’s mother, was out about town, visiting friends and relaxing over by the town fountain. Pierre was grateful for the father-daughter time; there had always been a bit of a disconnect between them, especially when Abby was in the depths of a recent depressive funk. That all changed when Kaylia Gardner arrived to reopen Red Dragon Farm, and Abby’s demeanor had brightened considerably.

Their status as a couple was confirmed the day previous, when Abby practically floated in to the store after staying the night at the farm. Caroline took one look at their daughter as she went to change and wash up for work, then leaned over to whisper to Pierre: “Abby got _fucked_ last night.” He’d nearly choked on his morning coffee; as much as he loved his daughter, he could do without the details of her sex life. It was an especially fraught topic lately, what with Abby and Caroline starting to explore a _highly_ incestuous relationship themselves. Pierre was far less bothered by those details, odd as that was, but preferred it be none of his business.

Still, no reason not to inquire. “I hear things are going well with Kay,” Pierre said casually as he stacked bags of rice. The dreamy sigh Abby gave told the tale.

“She’s amazing,” Abby said, “I never thought I’d meet someone like me, much less fall for them inside of a week.” Abby and Kay were both female-identifying intersex individuals. Given how rare her family had been told intersex genes were, Abby and Kay meeting seemed like a minor miracle.

“She’s a fine woman,” Pierre agreed, “but things do seem to be progressing a bit quickly.”

Abby put her stock list down to look at her father. “Is there something wrong with that?” Her voice quavered a little, as though she’d been caught misbehaving.

Pierre smiled and shook his head. “Of course not. You’re a grown woman, you can make your own decisions. I’m merely a father that will always be concerned for his little girl.”

“Dad...” Abby walked over and hugged Pierre. “Don’t worry, I’ll always be your little girl.”

“I know,” Pierre replied, returning the hug. They returned to their tasks and made quick work of the chores before adjourning for lunch. They made sandwiches and gathered snacks and drinks before sitting down.

“Hey,” Abby said as they started eating, “when was the last time you and Mom went to one of those dinner parties the adults used to have? I thought maybe Kay and I could go the next time you all have one? Haley and Maru, too! It’d be so much fun!”

Pierre’s eyes bugged a little before he could get them under control. “Uh, y-yeah! That would be fun. I don’t if we’d start that up again anytime soon, though, it wouldn’t be the same without Mr. Freeman there.” Abby nodded in understanding; Kent Freeman (Sam’s dad) was in the army, captured overseas several years ago. It absolutely seemed in poor taste to try to have a party like that without him.

“That makes sense. Still, it’s fun to think about, anyway.”

Pierre thanked the Goddess for his quick thinking. It was true that the he, Caroline, Kent and Jodi Freeman, Demetrius and Robin Wright, and Marnie Jones used to get together every so often. Evelyn and George Mullner kindly offered to watch the kids so the adults could have a nice evening out. “Dinner,” however, was really only a pretense: they had _crazy_ orgies back in the day. Jodi and Caroline had been the ones to suggest it, they were thick as thieves from the day they met and Pierre and Kent both suspected their wives had crushes on each other. Some discreet inquiries revealed that the Wrights were also down to clown, as it were, and Robin had suggested inviting Marnie as well. The single rancher had eagerly accepted the invitation, even before the true nature of the gathering was revealed to her, and her enthusiasm increased significantly when she found out.

Pierre found himself lost in thought remembering the last such occasion: Jodi and Robin were engaged in a torrid 69 as he and Kent took them from behind, the girls licking each other’s soaked pussies as they were being rammed, occasionally switching to suck off the cock in front of their face before guiding it back; meanwhile, Caroline and Marnie made out furiously as they gave Demetrius the double-titfucking of his life.

As incredibly sexy as it was, Pierre got a little choked up as he reminisced; he hadn’t realized how much he missed just hanging out with his friends. Commiserating over the travails of raising children, laughing at each other’s terrible jokes, evaluating wines and recipes, wagering on who would be the first to start making out (almost always Caroline and Jodi). While they still got together with the Wrights at the Saloon, it wasn’t the same without the Freemans (Jodi was running herself ragged taking care of the boys and never seemed to have the time) or Marnie (her relationship with Mayor Lewis took priority, though it wasn’t clear whether it was also a priority for Lewis). He found himself agreeing with Abby; it _would_ be a lot of fun to share those times with his daughter and her friends. Just not the sexy times, of course.

Abby noticed her dad’s wistful grin and glazed-over eyes. “Dad? Hey, Dad!”

Pierre shook himself out of his reverie. “What? Sorry, I, uh, I kinda spaced out there.”

“Yeah, you did,” Abby snickered.

They continued eating as Pierre shared some more appropriate (and chaste) anecdotes from their dinner parties. Abby loved hearing them, and it made her want to start a similar tradition with her own friends.

“Hello?” Caroline’s voice rang down the corridor before she entered the kitchen. “Ooh, yes please, I’m ravenous!” she said, swooping in to steal the other half of Pierre’s sandwich.

“Uh, pardonnez-moi, mon petit fromage!” Pierre protested, “You can make your own sandwich, please!”

“Thanks, I will!” Caroline said, taking bites from the purloined sandwich as she made another. “So what are you kids talking about?”

“Dad was talking about the dinner parties you used to go to, I kinda want to do that with Kay and Maru and Haley sometime.”

“Oh, really?” Caroline said, turning to face them with eyebrows raised. Pierre tried desperately to wave Caroline off before she gave up the game.

“Yes!” he said, louder than he needed to. “We had very nice times together! Having dinner! Splitting a bottle of wine! Talking about parent things! Just a nice, pleasant, friendly _dinner_ evening!”

“I’ll say!” Caroline agreed. “I loved that Marnie Jones could suck you off while you fucked those giant tits of hers! I wish I payed better attention, but her pussy was just so good, you know? Goddess, Jodi and I could eat that woman out for _days._ ” She placed the remains of his sandwich back on his plate as she exited to the sunroom.

Pierre and Abby just stared at each other, speechless. Abby’s jaw dropped at the revelation as the blood drained completely from Pierre’s face. Eventually, someone had to say something, so Abby did.

“You didn’t have ‘dinner’ at those parties, did you.” It wasn’t a question.

“We absolutely had dinner!” Pierre protested. “Jodi and I would collaborate, we got to try a lot of interesting dishes together!”

“Uh-huh, before you devoured each other.”

“We were all adults, and we enjoyed each other’s company! Just... you know, maybe a little more intimately than otherpeople might.”

Abby sat there for a moment, taking it all in. She suddenly snickered as a thought occurred to her.

“What?” Pierre asked.

“Sorry, I just realized why Mom likes fish tacos so much.”

“ABBY.” Pierre said, right before the dam burst and they both devolved into riotous laughter.

*****

Kay sat on the cabin porch steps, munching on a field snack and looking straight at Luna. The harvest had proceeded without incident, and Melvyn departed after giving everything a once-over. With him gone, Kay could address the issue at hand safely.

“So,” she began, addressing the cat directly, “can you actually talk? Actually, let me rephrase: _will_ you talk, or are we going to pretend I had a mild psychotic episode until you’re ready to talk?”

“Meow,” Luna said, trotting over to nuzzle Kay.

“Don’t give me that cutesy routine!” Kay snapped, reaching out to stroke Luna’s soft fur as she provided the requested pets. Not petting Luna was out of the question; she was angry with the cat, but she wasn’t a monster. “Yes, you are very nice and pretty and loving but you spoke actual words and you will explain yourself at once.”

Luna disregarded Kay’s ultimatum, preferring instead to nuzzle harder into Kay’s hand and purr warmly. Kay sighed. “I’m actually going insane, that’s all there is to it.”

She stood up to check the mailbox. There was a note from Robin inquiring after the silo and to mention some ideas for the cabin restoration, whenever that happened. There was also another Joja flier, which Kay shredded on the spot. Finally, there was a short note from Marnie asking if Kay had come across any cave carrots in her work. She thought for a moment, then went to the chill chest and withdrew a few of the weirdly-shaped, brown taproots. This would help solve two problems at once; Kay had been meaning to go visit the rancher for a while.

That done, she hefted her pack over her shoulder and set off for town. The animals watched her go, Apollo hopping over to sit next to Luna.

“That was close,” the raven said once Kay was out of earshot. “I’m surprised she didn’t press harder.”

“New mistress is a busy woman,” Luna replied, grooming her leg. “She doesn’t need other problems to deal with right now.”

“That certainly didn’t stop you earlier,” Zeus chided from atop the scarecrow. Luna stuck her tongue out at the imperious raven.

“I was excited to see her! I just forgot temporarily.”

“Then let us hope your memory proves more reliable in future,” Zeus muttered, “else she casts us out as demons or spies.”

“Or both!” Apollo cheerfully offered. Zeus turned his head to regard the younger raven.

“Indeed.”

*****

Sam rolled up on the JojaMart loading dock and stowed his skateboard behind the large crates at the back. He was running early for his part-time shift, and he was hoping to catch Mr. Morris in a good enough mood to both start and leave early. His mother was going through another rough patch and he wanted to help set up for his brother Vincent’s birthday. These emotional funks came and went ever since his dad had been captured in the Empire, and Sam hated to see his mom get so despondent. Taking care of Vince and lightening Jodi’s work load usually helped a lot.

As Sam walked in through the service entrance, he could hear Mr. Morris talking to Shane. He didn’t sound happy. They were standing over in the pasta and soup section, Shane dutifully restocking the shelves as Morris vented at him.

“It’s disgraceful!” Morris said. “Not just turning us down, that I could understand, but to destroy it and leave the remains with a condescending note! Shameful!”

“Yes, sir,” Shane nodded, continuing to stock and arrange the shelf in front of him. The only thing to do when Morris got fired up like this was to agree with him and otherwise keep one’s head down.

“Be thankful you don’t have to report to the Head Office, Mr. Anderson. I’m sure they’ll find a way to stick us with the cost of replacing that bin even though _they’re_ the ones that told us to put it out there. I told them waiting for a signed agreement was more prudent! Legal thought so as well, but no, they assumed she’d be head over heels to sell to us! Typical c-level arrogance.”

“Pretty unwise, sir.” Shane agreed.

“Pretty unwise, indeed! Ah, well, now I have to salvage this mess before they start asking questions again.”

Sam approached the pair carefully, catching Morris’s eye. “Ah, Mr. Freeman! You’re not due in until one.”

“Uh, yes, sir.” Sam replied. “I was hoping I could maybe start early? I wanted to get home before my brother does, it helps my mom out a lot.”

Morris nodded absentmindedly. Sudden shift adjustments like this were against policy, but Sam Freeman was a good worker and usually prompt, and his mother was a frequent customer. Besides, no reason to take out his frustration at Corporate on the staff, that would be _incredibly_ unprofessional.

“Hmm... I suppose it won’t hurt... this time. Just don’t... make a habit of this, Mr. Freeman.” Morris smiled to himself as he returned to his desk. “Please... give Mr. Anderson a hand with the stocking before you... start... your rounds.”

Sam sighed in relief as he turned to Shane. “What happened?” he asked quietly, falling in beside the older man.

“Farmer took an axe to the shipping box he had delivered to Red Dragon. She left it in a pile in front of the store with a note.” Shane smirked as Sam chuckled.

“Geez. I’m surprised she hasn’t snapped him in half yet, you’d think his bosses would take a hint.”

Shane chuckled as they worked. “You takin’ off to watch Vince?”

Sam nodded. “Yeah, it’s his birthday, I wanted to get home before he did and surprise him.”

“Nice. Wish him a good one for me. He’s what, ten?”

“Nine, and I will, thanks.”

The two men worked quickly to finish restocking, then parted ways as Sam went to get his bucket and mop. He said hello to Claire the cashier, who responded as usual with a disinterested wave. Sam shook his head, wondering if she’d ever say anything to him. Or anyone, for that matter, the strawberry blonde was impressively aloof. He sighed as he filled the bucket and added cleaning fluid before dunking the mop.

Cleaning the JojaMart to exacting corporate standards wasn’t actually difficult, just time-consuming, and Sam found a weird pleasure in the work. It was very much like meditation, working his way up and down the aisles, the persistent buzz of the fluorescent lights adding a calming white noise to the background. His mom came through for the weekly shopping as usual, and they waved to each other. As he worked near Shane or Mr. Morris, he’d strike up conversation with them. In the several months he’d been working there, he’d gotten to know them pretty well.

Shane Anderson clearly had problems, but he kept them real close to the chest. Sam often saw him in the Stardrop Saloon, nursing a few beers next to the fireplace. They’d had similar tastes in sports and music, and Sam used that connection to slowly get the older man to open up a bit. Based on their conversations, Shane had some real trauma in his past and was deeply depressed by it. Sam never pressed, but made himself available to listen if Shane ever wanted to talk.

As for Jacob Morris, well, he could absolutely be a giant asshole, but only when he was acting as Joja Representative. In quieter moments at the store, when there wasn’t a constant need to be the face of Joja Corporation, Mr. Morris was actually pretty chill. He sometimes talked to Sam in a weird, stilted sort of way, like he had earlier, and tended to drop obscure references to older video games Sam hadn’t played. In one of his weirder moments, he’d presented Sam with a crowbar. “Just... in case, Mr. Freeman,” Morris had said. Sam still didn’t get the reference, but no one that committed to weird jokes could be all bad.

Sam’s shift passed quickly, and Morris tapped him on the shoulder as he was rinsing out the bucket. “Mr. Freeman, need I remind you of Joja Corporation’s policy on unauthorized overtime?” he said sternly. Sam looked up at the clock and saw it was quarter to four. “Oh, yes, sir! Sorry, sir!” He emptied the bucket, clocked out, and dashed to the service entrance.

Morris returned to his desk and picked up the farmer’s note again. He smiled as he reread it, finally comprehending the reference it contained now that the fear of reporting failure to Corporate had faded. He wondered if she’d phrased the letter that way on purpose.

“So, Marius. At last I find you,” he quoted from memory. He’d have to find his install discs and play through again. It was important to make time for the classics, after all.

*****

Kay’s first stop in town was the old community center, where she was able to complete the spring crops request for the Junimos. Once again, she had pulled up the request board in the ruined pantry, selected the spring request, and arranged the remaining crops out around the little plate. The items vanished with a *pop*, and a neatly green-wrapped bundle started waddling presumably towards the hut in the main area. Another wrapped present for Kay replaced the donated items. Opening the box, she found a large bag of AgriCo-brand Speedy Gro® fertilizer. _Helps your plants grow big and strong in a fraction of the time!_ the bag proclaimed. Kay examined the bag for fine print but couldn’t find any. It would be worth trying back on the farm to get an idea of how big a fraction it would save.

A loud clanging from elsewhere in the community center grabbed her attention, and she followed the sound to the old boiler room. A new plate had appeared with a fresh set of requests, these ones clearly tied to the mine. A set of metal ingots, a collection of mineral samples, and an assortment of monster parts were now on the docket, and Kay nodded as she took down the new requests in her notebook. She had copper for days and a fine collection of natural quartz along with what the request referred to as “earth crystal”; Kay was familiar enough with the resinous substance to recognize it, though she’d been referring to it as cave amber. She presumed she would find the rest of the items further down in the mine, and she planned to return there as soon as she stopped resenting that Goddess-damned pink cake.

After leaving the center, Kay ran into Jodi near Pierre’s. The homemaker was carrying a number of JojaMart bags, and Kay’s offer of assistance was gratefully accepted. They chatted on the way back to the Freeman residence, Jodi asking after the farm and Kay filling her in on the harvest. When they arrived, Kay followed Jodi in and placed the groceries on the kitchen counter before reaching into her own bag.

“As requested, ma’am,” Kay said, presenting the pride of the cauliflower harvest. Jodi gasped in delight at the excellent vegetables.

“They’re perfect!” she replied. “These are going to roast up beautifully, I can already tell! What do I owe you?”

“I believe I was offered a spot at the dinner table when that curry is ready.”

Jodi smiled. “Of course! Tomorrow night. But I mean how much do you want for them?”

Kay thought for a moment. She hadn’t planned on receiving anything apart from curry. “No charge.”

Jodi laughed as she continued putting her groceries away. “Come on, I have to give you something, these must be worth like seven hundred gold!”

“Jodi, I honestly do not want any money for them. Dinner and the pleasure of your company are enough. And the chance to hang out with Sam and meet Vincent.” Kay hastily added. Flirting with a married woman without permission from both parties felt sketchy.

Jodi turned to Kay, brushing her long braid behind her ear. Her pale violet eyes glistened, and Kay wondered if if she’d said the wrong thing. Jodi blinked her eyes clear. “Thank you, Kay. This means a lot, cauliflower curry is one of our favorites and we could really use it right now. Your timing is amazing.”

Kay shrugged. “I’m just glad to help a pretty lady and her family.” Internally, she cursed her choice of words. Jodi was absolutely gorgeous, but Kay really didn’t want to come across as a creep.

Jodi laughed, wiping her eyes with a nearby towel. “Cari’s right, you’re dangerous.”

“It’s a gift.”

Kay helped Jodi settle the rest of the groceries as the housewife talked about her family’s plans for the evening, including celebrating Vincent’s birthday. “I haven’t found a box mix I like, and I didn’t have time to put together a scratch cake, so we’re going to have a pan-cake!”

“Let me guess,” Kay said, “it’s a bunch of pancakes stacked and frosted to make a big layer cake.”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” Jodi went into her fridge and pulled out a large plastic container, removing the lid and a layer of plastic wrap to reveal a light brown, firm mixture. “It helps when you have the chocolate buttercream ready to go, though.” She scooped a bit onto her pinky and licked it off lasciviously before offering the container to Kay.

“Who’s dangerous now?” Kay asked with a laugh before doing the same. The frosting was light and extremely chocolaty, with a hint of something stronger beneath it, and she might have moaned a little. “Wow! How is it so pliable right out of the fridge?”

Jodi smiled, excited to talk cooking with the farmer. “I whip in some vegetable oil, keeps the frosting nice and smooth.”

“What else is in it? It’s got a tiny little kick to it, something spicy.”

“Good palate! There some cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of dark rum. I checked with Dr. Becker before I started doing that for things Vince will eat, he gave me the all clear so long as it isn’t all the time.”

With a smirk, Jodi scooped a little more onto her index finger and then offered it to Kay. The taller woman seriously considered accepting the invitation before thinking better of it. “I appreciate the gesture, but I think I should decline before I do something we both regret.”

Jodi shrugged, she probably wouldn’t have gone any further but she appreciated Kay’s restraint nonetheless. “More for me, then!”

The front door closing and a cheery shout of “I’m home!” signaled Sam’s return, and he joined the two women in the kitchen. He gave Jodi a big hug and a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, mom. Hi, Kay! What brings you by?”

“Just delivering some produce.” Kay gave the tall young man a polite nod.

“You interested in cauliflower steaks tomorrow night?” Jodi asked.

“Aw, fuck yeah!” Sam replied excitedly before looking mortified. “Uh, sorry, Kay.”

“Hey, I don’t fuckin’ care.” Kay answered, getting a laugh from both Freemans.

“Kent taught Sam not to swear in front of guests,” Jodi explained. “Something he picked up from his army training.”

“Manners maketh man.” Jodi, Sam, and Kay all said together. The reminder of the missing husband and father cast a sad silence over the room, and Jodi sniffled as Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“We miss him a lot,” Sam said, and Kay nodded in understanding. A sharp stab of guilt hit her spine; there were so many things she could tell them that might give them comfort and hope, but that would require revealing her Imperial background; she wasn’t sure they would accept it as easily as the girls had.

“He’ll be back,” she said, “I know it. You need any help setting up?”

Jodi shook her head. “Sam and I should be good from here, we don’t want to keep you.”

“You aren’t, but I’ll let you get to it. Wish Vince a big day for me, I can’t wait to meet him.”

“He can’t wait to meet you,” Sam said, “he’s never met an elf before.” He pointed to Kay’s ears with a smirk.

Kay bowed with a flourish. “Anu belore dela’na,” she said as she gracefully took her exit.

“Wait, what?” Sam called after her.

“I never noticed those!” Jodi said, her breath catching for just a moment. Sam was right, Kaylia Gardner was absolutely an intensely beautiful _elven_ maiden on top of everything else. If she wasn’t careful, Jodi knew she would offer Kay something else to lick besides her fingers.

*****

Kay was in fine spirits as she approached the Bar 80 Ranch. She was looking forward to getting to know the local rancher in more ways than one: Marnie Jones was a jovial lady, exceptionally curvy, and extremely knowledgeable about animal husbandry. If Kay ever wanted to start raising livestock, Marnie was the woman to ask. She actually felt pretty bad it had taken this long to stop by the ranch given that they were neighbors, and Kay was glad to finally address the failing.

As she neared the ranch, she saw Mayor Lewis exit and start walking her way. He jumped when she called out to him, but recovered quickly.

“Mayor! How goes it?”

“Well enough! Just stopping by to collect the usual taxes and fees and so forth!” Lewis seemed a little on edge, but Kay let it pass. “How is the farm coming along?”

“Quite well, thank you. Pierre’s going to have his hands full later, the harvest just came in.”

“That sounds exciting! I’ll have to remember to get to the store before it turns into a feeding frenzy!” The mayor quickly said his goodbyes and started off towards town. He was definitely bothered by something, or maybe irritated was a better term for it, but either way it was clear he wasn’t interested in a prolonged conversation. Kay watched the mayor for a bit before shrugging and continuing on to the ranch.

Just as Kay put a hand to the doorknob, she heard some voices coming from the big barn to her right.

“What is his problem? Is he serious about the boss or not?” a feminine voice asked. Another, similarly feminine voice answered.

“He’s been like that for as long as I can tell. I can’t understand why the boss puts up with him, she could do so much better.”

“She _used_ to do better!” a much older female voice spoke. “You remember those ‘dinner parties’, right? She was always so happy when she came back from one of those.”

Kay wandered over to the fence cordoning off a generous pasture space in front of the barn, looking for the conversation’s origin. She didn’t see anyone, just some cows, chickens, a large bull, and a duck resting on a tall milk can near the other animals.

“Well, I think she should drop him like a bag of dirt. If Archie ever talked to me that way, I’d give him a hoof right in the balls. Isn’t that right, honey?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me, Ronnie.” A deep, sonorous voice responded, and a round of chuckling began. “I still get sore thinking of the last time.”

It finally occurred to Kay where the voices were coming from, and she narrowed her eyes in a resigned glower. “Of _course_ ,” Kay said under her breath. She was going to have _words_ with Luna when she got back to the farm.

As Kay mulled this development over, the duck looked over and noticed the tall farmer leaning against the fence. “Hey, guys! That new farmer’s here!” The small herd of animals turned to look at Kay. She looked at them in turn before waving them off.

“Don’t mind me, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” she said without thinking.

The group gasped at Kay’s response. One of the cows walked over. “You can understand us?”

“Apparently,” Kay said flatly.

“Well!” The duck excitedly flapped over to the fence and offered Kay a wing. “Let me be the first to welcome you to the Bar 80, miss...?”

“Gardner, Kaylia Gardner.” Kay gently took the duck’s primary feathers in her hand and shook. It felt as surreal as it looked.

“Sabrina Spellduck, lovely to make your acquaintance! Allow me to make some introductions!” The duck pointed her wing at the pair of cows. “This is Betty and Veronica, and over there is-”

“Archie, right?” Sabrina nodded excitedly. The bull also nodded, adding a deep “ma’am”. Kay felt an eyeroll coming on but kept it in check as a trio of chickens wandered over.

“This is Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Ladies, this is Miss Kaylia Gardner, from the farm next door!”

“I see you’ve met the cruise director,” Buttercup said, the owner of the older woman’s voice. Kay nodded, still processing this entire business.

“So, what brings you by?” Betty the cow asked politely.

“I’ve been meaning to visit Marnie for a bit, finally had the opportunity.” Kay looked around to see if anyone human was around before continuing. “What’s going on between Marnie and Lewis? I don’t mean to pry or anything, but I didn’t know they were together.”

“Yeah, you and everyone else in this town,” Buttercup said bitterly. “She’s too good for him and that’s that.”

“It’s not really our place to say,” Sabrina said, an edge in her voice clearly directed towards the chicken, “but our fearless leader has been seeing His Honor for quite some time. Unfortunately, he seems to be less inclined to recognize their status in public.”

“Or at all,” grumbled Buttercup.

“It’s really a shame,” Veronica added, “they certainly seem to have a good time together, but the boss has been pretty down lately and the mayor doesn’t seem like he wants to help?”

Kay was a little surprised by that. Lewis never struck her as that kind of man. He seemed like a dedicated public servant, sure, and she knew how that could affect one’s personal relationships, but this kind of conduct sounded almost malicious.

“What happened just now?” Kay asked.

“They had a fight,” Betty said. “We could hear it from out here. The boss wanted to have a nice evening out, and His Honor deferred, like always. Then she said something about... what was it, Ronnie?”

“She said: ‘those nice girls don’t seem to have problems being out in public.’” Veronica replied. “You can guess how the mayor reacted to that.”

“In dire need of a swift exit.” Kay mused. “How is she doing?”

The animals all looked at one another, sad looks crossing their faces. It told Kay all she needed to know.

“Thanks for letting me in on all this.”

“She’ll appreciate you visiting,” Sabrina said. “As I’m sure we all do, as well.”

“Play your cards right, she’ll _show_ you how much she appreciates it!” Buttercup said with a chickeny cackle. It caught Kay off-guard, and she started laughing. She turned and went over to the ranch door.

“She seems nice!” Betty said to the agreement of the assemblage.

“I ship her and the boss, no question,” Buttercup said bluntly.

“That’s ridiculous, we hardly know anything about her!” Sabrina said as the animals wandered back into the barn. The duck declined to mention that she was in complete agreement with the chicken.

*****

Marnie Jones sniffled as she looked herself over in the mirror. Her eyes were still a bit puffy and red from the good cry she’d had. Lewis said some pretty insensitive things, and Marnie was only mostly sure he didn’t mean them personally. She tried to allow for his recent bad moods; the pressure of trying to help the entire town was getting to him pretty intensely. Deep down, however, she knew that was a poor excuse for his dismissive treatment, that Lewis had always been at least a little self-centered ever since they’d started their little tryst. He’d just never been so overt and unapologetic about it, or as willing to place the blame for her “perceived slights” back on her. She missed the warm, charming man that she’d fallen for.

The ringing of her door opening shook Marnie out of her wondering. “Just a minute!” she called through the door, wiping her eyes dry with tissues and trying to put on a happier face. It became much easier when she saw Miss Gardner waiting at the counter.

“Hi,” Kay said with a warm smile. “I got your note and I am extremely curious for what arcane purpose you require these weird things.” She produced the big cave carrots from her bag and placed them on the counter. Marnie smiled, the farmer was kind enough to provide both what she’d requested and a great distraction.

“Come on, I’ll show you!” Marnie grabbed the carrots and led Kay through the house to the barn. “So, I’ve been trying to teach my goats to say hello, but they won’t do anything unless they get their favorite food.”

“Cave carrots?” Kay asked, and Marnie nodded.

“They can’t get enough of them. So, they get what they want, and I get about 15 minutes’ training time in.”

They entered the large barn and Marnie walked over to a trio of goats currently munching on some hay. The other animals were congregated outside, but slowly started wandering over when the two women appeared. Kay kept a polite distance from the goats, they seemed skittish to her.

“Hello, Ariel! Belle! Why, Aurora, you’re looking good!” Marnie greeted the goats as they gathered around her. “Look what I’ve got for you!” She broke the first carrot into pieces and held them in the palm of her hand. One by one, each goat snapped up a piece of carrot, bleating a short thank you for the treat.

“Now, isn’t that tasty?” she said, petting each goat in turn as she prepped the second carrot in a similar manner.

“Not that we don’t appreciate bribes,” one of the goats (Belle, probably?) said, “but we still don’t want to do it.”

“But the kids love it,” Marnie replied quietly.

“Will you at least admit it’s a little demeaning? We’re not show animals.”

“I get that, Aurora, but it would mean so much to me. You don’t have to do it all the time, just once or twice to brighten their day.”

Kay’s eyes widened as she realized Marnie could talk to animals as well. She was doing a very good job keeping her voice down, but Kay’s enhanced senses heard the conversation clearly. She could also tell the goats weren’t huge fans of this party trick, but neither did they want to let “the boss” down. Eventually, one of them worked up a clear “Hello-o-o-o-o-o-o”, and Marnie praised her for the effort. Kay gave a short round of applause as well.

She looked over at the other animals, who were watching them expectantly. Buttercup and Sabrina both waved a wing at Kay, urging her to get closer. Kay rolled her eyes before walking over.

“They’re quick studies,” Kay said. Ariel stepped over and nuzzled into Kay’s leg like a cat, and Kay gave her some pets.

“Ugh,” Belle said, “I feel like a cheap floozy.”

“You did great!” Marnie said, feeding the goat another piece of carrot.

“Besides, it’s not like you’re entertaining sailors on leave or something,” Kay said without thinking.

Marnie laughed at the joke, before she and the goats looked at Kay in surprise.

Kay sighed. “I guess we both have stories to tell.”

*****

They sat in Marnie’s she-shed (really, one of the barn stalls that had been turned into a she-shed) and shared their backgrounds with each other over a pot of tea. The animals had gathered around to listen politely, looking very much like a group of children gathering for story time. Kay went first, retelling the story of her life as an Imperial Bladesister, her sisters, the truth of her relationship with the Gardners, and her plans for the future. This included talking about her blossoming romance with Abby and the possibility of same with Maru and Haley; Kay hadn’t intended to mention anything about her growing social life, but had a sudden impulse to tell the rancher, like she deserved to know. It was pretty clear that Marnie was hanging on Kay’s every word, and she found herself entranced by Marnie’s sparkling brown eyes more often than not.

Kay felt the same when Marnie talked about her history. She’d grown up on the Bar 80 with her parents and an older sister; she loved working on the ranch even as a small child. She learned she could talk to the animals at a young age, and made fast friends with all of the livestock her family owned. Her mother and grandmother both could as well, and said it was due to their family’s deep connection to the land. Marnie’s father married in and never quite believed that the Morris women were so gifted, but Tommy Jones was a loving and supportive partner and parent so he never made a big deal out of it. Her sister Jessica supposedly could, as well, but she left the ranch at 16 for a life in the city.

Marnie learned all she could about the business of the ranch and animal husbandry from her parents, obsessing over method and process. Being able to communicate directly with animals was a huge help and contributed directly to the ranch’s continuing success. She also got to know the Gardners and Red Dragon Ranch pretty well, the two families having been close for a few generations. They would have each other over for dinner frequently, barter eggs and milk for fruits and veggies, and Marnie strongly suspected her parents and the Gardners got together for more “private” functions on occasion.

Eventually, Marnie’s parents decided they were ready to retire. They had purchased a cottage on one of the smaller Fern islands and intended to move there when Marnie was ready to take over the ranch. That day came shortly before Marnie’s 25th birthday. She, her sister, and her sister’s young son Shane saw them off at Zuzu International Airport, a teary but joyful farewell with promises to come back and visit often. Marnie was nervous about being the new ranch boss, but her family knew she had the brains and the brawn for it. (Her parents were still alive and well, and though they couldn’t travel as much in their advanced age, they wrote often.)

Marnie ran the ranch as well as her parents had, and life continued. Some of the older families in town left or passed away, and she made friends with the new families that moved in. She knew the Gardners very well already, and she introduced them to the Freemans, who were right down the road; through them she met the Chandlers, the Wrights, and the Carters (at least before they started traveling the world without their children). She reminisced about the good times they shared, the crazy antics their children got into, the sense of community that bound them all together.

Her voice softened a little as she described how it all started fading; the Gardner’s daughter suddenly passing away, Kent Freeman’s deployment and eventual capture, Joja Corporation setting up shop, all the children growing up and growing distant. Marnie admitted to being in pretty low spirits when Mayor Lewis asked her to dinner one day. That dinner turned into other dinners, which turned into quiet evenings together, which turned into a long-term relationship; a relationship Marnie was slowly discovering to be fairly toxic.

All of it got turned upside down two years previous. Her nephew, Shane, appeared on her doorstep with a young girl in tow. He first introduced Marnie’s niece and his half sister, Jasmine Taylor, Jas for short. Marnie’s sister, Jessica, had disappeared with her second husband right before their home and everything they owned were repossessed, and now he and Jas had nowhere to go. Shane asked if they could stay with their Aunt Marnie until he found work and another place to live. Marnie was floored; she hadn’t realized Jessica had left her _first_ husband, much less remarried and had a daughter. Of course they could stay, for as long as they wanted; the ranch had plenty of room and she could certainly support them. Shane got his job at JojaMart shortly thereafter and started paying Marnie rent despite her attempts at refusing it. It soon became clear that Shane had serious personal problems of his own, exacerbated by a slow, painful descent into alcoholism, but he refused all offers of assistance.

So, that was Marnie; a successful rancher trying to support her nephew and niece in a town that had been quietly drifting apart for years, with a “boyfriend” that absolutely refused to recognize their relationship. She felt tears coming on and sniffled a bit, pulling a tissue out of a pocket to wipe her nose.

Kay held Marnie’s hand all throughout her story. When the rancher was done, Kay quietly asked if she could hug Marnie, and Marnie agreed. The waterworks started as soon as they embraced; Marnie unleashed a tide of emotions she’d been holding back for far too long, her worries and self-doubts manifesting in her tears. Kay held Marnie tightly, gently rubbing her back as she cried into Kay’s chest. They stayed like that for a while as Marnie cried it out, and slowly her sobs began to subside.

After a moment, Marnie sighed as she settled more deeply into Kay’s arms and chest. She felt protected wrapped in the farmer’s embrace, and the steady thump of Kay’s heart relaxed her further. Her face sank into Kay’s boobs, which were at once firm but yielding. A naughty thought flashed through Marnie’s mind as she pictured playing with those impressive tits, and she smiled quietly.

Kay soon realized she had a problem. Marnie was thick and _impossibly_ soft. Even in her rough ranching clothes, Kay could tell Marnie was packing some serious jugs, possibly rivaling Maru’s, but the rancher was pleasantly plump all around. When Marnie pressed deeper into their hug, Kay’s nose pressed into her hair, which smelled of grass and honey. It all reminded Kay that Marnie was _distressingly_ attractive, which had the inevitable effect.

Marnie was enjoying how firm Kay’s body was (with the welcome exception of her chest) when she noticed something down below getting firmer. Her eyes widened as she felt that something press into her thigh. She wanted to see what it was, but a look up at Kay’s rapidly blushing face was far more informative. And adorable.

“Why, Miss Gardner,” Marnie said playfully, “have you been hiding something?”

Kay grimaced. “Miss Jones, I apologize for my, uh, indiscretion.” Kay made to separate from Marnie, but the rancher wrapped her arms around Kay’s waist and pulled her closer.

“Oh, don’t apologize,” Marnie said, “I love it when I have that effect on an attractive young woman.” She slowly ground her hips against the farmer, relishing the sensation of Kay’s member pressing into her body.

“Marnie, I-”

“Shh,” Marnie cut Kay off, “I know. Neither of us should be doing anything remotely like this just now.” She released Kay and they separated, the farmer stepping into the next stall to adjust herself.

Their timing was excellent, as a shout of “Auntie Marnie!” preceded Jas’s appearance at the fence. The animals, having dispersed to give the women some privacy, flocked over to the young girl, and she reached out to pat any who came in reach. Beside Jas was her teacher, Penny, who smiled and waved as Marnie and Kay went to join them.

“How was your day, sugar plum?” Marnie asked, reaching to lift Jas up and over the fencing into the corral. Kay was suitably impressed with the display of Marnie’s upper body strength.

“It was alright. We learned about dinosaurs today, and Miss Pierce talked about how they lived a long time ago but died out. Also, Vincent is a jerk!”

“Hey now, that’s not a nice thing to say about somebody!” Marnie chided.

“It’s true! He kept teasing me about how he’s older than me today!”

“He might have been a bit excited about his birthday,” Penny admitted.

“Well,” Kay chimed in, “if he ever does something like that again, just remember that boys are icky and he can go climb a tree.”

“Miss Gardner!” Jas jumped out of Marnie’s arms to give Kay a big hug. Kay lifted the young girl up and whirled her around before setting her back down safely.

“Alright, you head on inside and get cleaned up for dinner, I’ll be along in a bit.”

“Okay!” Jas waved goodbye to everyone and skipped through the barn.

“Oof!” Marnie said, visibly exhausted by the exchange. “I hope she wasn’t too bad today.”

“She was fine,” Penny replied, smiling. “They’re both excellent students, usually.”

“Say, have you two met yet?” Marnie asked.

“Not formally,” Kay said, stepping over to offer a hand. “Kay Gardner.”

“Penny Pierce.” Penny returned a firm handshake. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Maru, actually, she’s a little obsessed with you. I do hope you’re not trying to steal her away from Haley.”

Kay grinned sheepishly. “She’s pretty incredible herself, and I’m pretty sure Haley AND Abby would tear me asunder if they thought I was making moves without everyone’s consent.”

Penny smiled, she could easily see how the tall woman had entranced her best friend. “Well, I should get back. It was nice to meet you! I’ll see you tomorrow, Marnie!”

They waved as Penny headed back to town. “She’s such a nice young lady, but real formal.” Marnie said. “Took about a year to get her to stop calling me Mrs. Jones. I figure the local teacher gets to be informal with the parents.”

Kay nodded, turning back to Marnie. “I should go, as well. A farmer’s work is never done.”

“Tell me about it.” They shared another hug, and their eyes met once again.

“Feel free to stop by whenever,” Marnie said.

“You, as well,” Kay replied. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment longer, before Marnie took action.

“Hell with it,” she said as she brought her lips to Kay’s in a searing kiss. It deepened almost immediately, their lips parting as their tongues sought each other out. The kiss lasted for a few minutes, eventually breaking when the animals started cheering and cat-calling. Kay and Marnie both flipped the animals off, which amused everybody.

“Have a good night, Marnie,” Kay say, finally parting from the plump rancher.

“You too, Kay.” She watched Kay jump the fence and start back, then turned to go inside. The animals parted for her, offering words of encouragement before being shushed. She knew she had some work to do with Lewis, unwilling to give up on the idiot just yet, but Marnie hadn’t felt like this since before they’d started seeing each other. It was warm and comforting and arousing all at once, and Marnie had missed it badly.

The rumors going around were one-hundred percent correct: Kaylia Gardner was a dangerous lady killer, and Marine was very excited at the prospect of being on that hit list.

*****

The Stardrop Saloon was as busy as usual for a Wednesday night. Gus and Emily attended to the guests with their usual charm and bubbliness, the regulars were in their appointed places, and the younger generation had taken over the game room. Gus thought it was nice to see that group expanding a bit, and that they were clearly having a good time.

Sebastian considered the state of the pool table as he lined up his next shot. Nearby, Haley watched her black-haired opponent with a calm, practiced eye. Abby and Maru sat at the nearby table talking to Sam, who reclined on the length of the new couch they’d brought in (with Gus’s permission, of course).

“I swear, I’ve heard that before,” Abby said. Sam had told them about Kay’s visit to his house, and the trio was puzzling over Kay’s cryptic response to being called an elf.

“It’s not Sindarin or Quenya,” Maru offered, “and it’s not guttural enough to be the Black Speech.”

“What was it again?” Sebastian asked, stepping aside to allow Haley her turn at the table.

“A new below ray... something,” Sam said, “I didn’t catch all of it.”

Sebastian pursed his lips. It didn’t make much sense until he tried to say it out loud. “A new below... oh! I know what she said!” He turned to Abby. “‘The Eternal Sun guides us.’”

Abby turned to Maru, who had the same thought. “Anu belore dela’na,” they said in unison.

“Yeah!” Sam nodded. “That was it! What does it mean?”

“It means Kay is a giant nerd,” Seb scoffed.

“Uh, I seem to recall something about pots, kettles, and so forth,” Haley said, before executing a deft combination shot.

“True.” Seb admitted.

Maru took a sip of her soda, trying to calm down. She was really nervous being around Abby after the previous day’s brief make-out session with Kay. Maru knew she needed to tell Abby about it, but she had difficulty explaining her feelings for the farmer in a way that wouldn’t sound stupid, or like Maru wanted to steal Kay away. The worst part was that Abby could tell Maru wanted to say something, and she felt more and more awkward the longer she waited.

“Hey, Sam,” Abby said, “your round, I think?”

Sam looked at the empty glasses on the table. “Ope! Sure thing.” He flipped up from the couch and headed to the bar.

Abby placed her hand over Maru’s. “That help?” she asked, smiling warmly.

Maru nodded. “Thanks.” She took a deep breath before proceeding. “I made out with Kay yesterday. She was walking back to the farm and I went with her and we talked about artificial intelligence and it was raining so we could see through each other’s clothes and we hugged and I just felt so warm and she’s so beautiful and friendly and sexy but I don’t want to hurt our friendship or your relationship with Kay or _my_ relationship with Haley but I just wanted to make out with her _so bad_ -”

“Whoa, girl!” Abby cut Maru off. “Take a breath.”

Maru nodded and took a few deep breaths. “Thanks, I needed to get that out, I couldn’t stop it.”

“She told me the same way earlier,” Haley said, wandering over to sit next to her girlfriend. Sebastian had racked up for the next game, but that could wait a bit. He went over to the bar to hang with Sam, he could tell the girls could use some privacy.

“I get it,” Abby smiled again, she always had a very pretty smile. “And trust me, I _absolutely_ understand about Kay. You don’t need to apologize for anything.”

“I feel like I should, though, aren’t you and Kay exclusive?”

Abby started laughing. Maru didn’t know how to take that.

“We’ve known Kay for, what, a week? Two weeks?” Maru nodded. “Did you expect to have sex with her so soon after meeting her? Because I sure didn’t.”

Maru continued nodding. “You don’t think the wizard’s doing something to help get us all infatuated with her, do you? Like, all that talk about the valley and the leylines, it’s not a big scam to turn the town into Kay’s personal sex cult?”

“I don’t know if I’d mind that, actually,” Haley said, taking a sip of her cosmopolitan and draping her arm across Maru’s shoulders. The bespectacled redhead scooted closer to lean into Haley.

“I’m sure that’s what we’re all hoping for,” Abby said, rolling her eyes. “She doesn’t strike me as the type, though. Our first night together, we were going to make out until I told her I was, uh, the way I was. We didn’t actually do anything after that except talk, and she was really vested in that conversation. Hell, when we did get nasty later, she was always checking with me, making sure I was okay with what we were doing. I don’t think she’d be that supportive if she wanted to enslave us all.”

“With us, too,” Haley agreed, “she and Maru were all super formal about it, ‘may I drink of your lips’, ‘my bosom yearns for your caress’, ‘please let me lick your girlfriend’s butt or I shall surely die’. You know, constantly asking permission even though we’re all naked and burning for each other.”

They laughed at Haley’s frank description of her threesome with Kay and Maru, but it tracked. Kay was nothing else if not super conscientious.

Maru sighed. “I just can’t understand why I feel so strongly about her so quickly! I mean, I know in my heart that Haley is The One, right? But now, it’s like Haley is The One but maybe Kay could be our Plus One. Does that make sense?”

“It does,” Abby said. “Kay and I haven’t had nearly enough time to talk about what we want out of our relationship, what our future might look like, if we’re open to having other partners, either separately or joining us occasionally or permanently; stuff like that, and I think that’s okay because WE’VE ONLY KNOWN EACH OTHER A WEEK.” Abby’s emphasis caught the others off-guard, and they started laughing again. Abby continued after they recovered. “My point is, I think there’s a lot going on that we all need to talk about, and talk about frequently, but I think we’ll all do a lot better for having those conversations.”

“Communication is the hallmark of any healthy relationship,” Maru said, quoting the wisdom both her parents spouted frequently.

“When did you get so good at relationship counseling?” Haley asked. Abby immediately blushed.

“Well, it’s stuff I talk about with my mom. A lot, lately. She’s a huge help understanding this stuff.”

“It’s nice to have someone to talk to about all this stuff,” Haley said, nodding in agreement. “I’m the same with Emily.” _I highly doubt that_ , Abby thought to herself.

“So, it’s okay I made out with Kay?” Maru asked. Abby and Haley could tell Maru was still nervous about her standing with both they and Kay.

“Of course-” Abby started to say, but she was cut off as Haley grabbed her arm and lifted her out of the chair.

“Excuse us a minute, babe,” Haley said. She guided Abby over to the arcade games out of earshot. Haley asked Abby something, Abby responded, Haley said something else, and the pair of them started nodding their heads and giggling furiously. Abby returned to the table while Haley went to the bar and got her sister Emily’s attention.

“What’s going on?” Maru asked.

“First off, yes, it’s okay you kissed Kay, and I will further say it’s okay that you want to do more.”

“Really?”

“Really really. I think it likely that Kay isn’t exactly a one-woman sort of person, and I’m totally okay with that. Especially because, depending on how things go, there might be... fringe benefits.”

Maru gasped at Abby’s insinuation, clutching her chest in mock indignation. “Abigail Chandler, just what kind of girls do you think we are?”

“The kind that are absolutely interested in a foursome given the chance,” Haley said, returning with a few sheets of paper and a pen, “and don’t tell me you wouldn’t be.”

“I think I’d like to discuss it first!” Maru protested. “Preferably before the clothes come off so I can think clearly. What’s with the paper?”

“I had an idea,” Haley said, “and Abby thinks it’s a good one. Do you trust me?”

“With all my heart and soul.”

Haley was caught off-guard by the heartfelt declaration, and Abby let out a soft “aww” in response. “Yes, well,” Haley said, clearing the hitch in her voice with a cough, “Abby and I are going to write some things, and then we need you to do us a favor...”

*****

Kay took her time walking through the farm. Today had been a pretty big day already, and she wasn’t super interested in having an argument with her cat. But, it was clear now that Luna’s earlier outburst did, in fact, happen. This wasn’t really an issue anymore, the real problem was that Luna declined to say anything _else_ after Kay had regained consciousness that morning. That meant, or at least strongly implied, that Luna _knew_ Kay could now talk to animals and had kept her mouth shut. For what reasons? Kay intended to find out.

As she approached the cabin, she saw Zeus and Apollo sitting together on the scarecrow. That seemed odd, Zeus was incredibly territorial about his perch in the few days he’d been in residence. Kay decided to make use of her new talent and find out what the ravens knew. They turned to regard her as she approached.

“Zeus, Apollo,” she greeted. The pair just looked at her, although Apollo seemed a little... twitchy. “Shaping up into a nice evening, isn’t it?” she asked. Again, she received no response, but Apollo started shifting his gaze between her and Zeus. Kay smirked; she’d seen this kind of behavior in countless interrogations, the young raven was hiding something and about to break.

“Night like this, it’s just perfect for friendly conversation. You know, between a farmer and the birds living on her land rent-free.”

“Chirp,” said Apollo. It was definitely the word “chirp” and not the sound effect. Zeus quickly whapped Apollo with his wing, the elder raven’s gaze never leaving the farmer.

Kay took three quick steps towards the ravens, her face transforming into a mean snarl. “ALRIGHT, TALK,” she barked, “who’s responsible for this! I want names!”

“Gah!” Apollo squawked in response. “It wasn’t us, I swear! We just saw it happen! Please don’t turn us into bird kebabs!”

“Of course.” Zeus replied, hiding behind his wing in a very good approximation of a facepalm. “You are terrible under pressure.”

“I’m sorry!” Apollo continued. “I want to stay here and help with the farm! I like it here a lot! Please don’t send us away!”

Kay was touched by Apollo’s entreaty, and her face softened immediately. “I would never send you away! Who said I would do such a thing?”

“Ah,” Zeus said, getting Kay’s attention, “I’m afraid that particular blame lies with me, madam. I may have intimated that speaking freely may label us as spies.”

“Or demons!” Apollo sobbed, “or both!”

“Okay,” Kay said. “Well, I’m not banishing anyone. You’re both free to stay so long as you leave the crops alone.”

“Oh, thank you, mistress!” Apollo said, flapping over and landing on Kay’s shoulder to nuzzle her.

“For heaven’s sake, man, show a little self-respect,” Zeus said with disgust.

“So what exactly happened?” Kay asked.

“We had a visitor last night,” Zeus reported, “a tall woman in black robes with black hair and of a rather greenish pallor. She looked around for a bit, bandied words with Luna, then worked some kind of magic over the soil and then into you.”

“She could fly!” Apollo added. “She had some kind of magic stick, but she could only use it when she left the farm.” The description raised Kay’s eyebrow. Did the valley also have a resident witch?

“You say she spoke to Luna?”

“At length. I gathered they knew each other.”

“Where’s Luna now?”

“Inside waiting for you, I believe.”

“Thank you.”

Kay gently patted Apollo and shooed him off her shoulder. “Please don’t hurt her,” Apollo said as Kay approached the cabin. Opening the door, she saw Luna curled up on the bed. The calico turned to Kay and stretched before meowing brightly. Kay stepped inside, closed the door, and took a seat at the dining table, turning to face the cat.

“Luna.”

Luna sat up politely on the bed and gave another, softer “mew.”

“It’s over, Luna. Your buddies Hardcastle and McCormick out there gave you up.”

Luna’s eyes widened before she shook her head. “It was Apollo, wasn’t it.”

“Snapped like a twig.”

“Well, can I at least nest in your boobs first, mistress? You’re super comfortable.”

Kay appreciated Luna’s honesty. “Yeah, sure.” She stripped down to her undergarments and laid in the bed as Luna crawled over to curl up on Kay’s chest.

“So, who was she?” Kay started, idly stroking Luna’s soft fur.

“She’s my first mistress, the Witch of the Wo-... well, Witch of the Swamp, now.”

 _First a wizard, now a witch,_ Kay thought. “And she sent you here?”

Luna nodded. “She wanted to know what kind of person you were, and if she needed to take any steps to... urge you along elsewhere.”

“What did you tell her?”

“The truth; that you’re a nice person and that you care about the farm and the people here.”

“Was that all she wanted?”

“Yes, mistress. She used the magic you had stored up to give you her own welcoming gift, and I asked to stay here. I like it here a lot more than I expected to.”

Kay thought about this for a moment. She’d never interrogated a cat before, but she didn’t get any deceptive vibes from Luna as they talked.

“Does she know Melvyn? Like, I assume there’s a local magic-user’s guild or something, they have to know about each other.”

Luna twitched her whiskers. “I can tell you, mistress, but you have to promise to keep it a secret.”

Kay shifted to look at Luna. “Of course.”

“First mistress is young master’s mother, but they haven’t seen each other in years, ever since... well, ever since she and former master had a big fight.”

 _That tracks,_ Kay thought. Mel hadn’t been super forthcoming about his past, apart from his father being a tremendous asshole, but it made sense that his mother would also be a magic-user of some sort. It gave her something to else to think about.

“Thank you for telling me, and I’m glad you decided to stay. I like having you around, as well.”

“Thank you, mistress! Someone has to keep bird-brain out there in line.”

Kay closed her eyes and snuggled with Luna. She was curious about the whole “mistress” thing, and a little weirded out given that Luna sounded like a character out of an English anime dub, but she could ask about those things later. At the moment, Luna’s warmth and the soft bed conspired to relax Kay into slumber’s embrace, but their grasp was broken by someone knocking at the door.

“Just a minute,” Kay called. Luna jumped up as Kay rolled out of bed, throwing her shirt back on. Her pants remained on the floor, an unnecessary extravagance at the moment. Kay opened the door and peeked around it to see Maru waiting.

“Hi, Kay,” she said nervously. “Um, may I come in?”

“Sure, as long as you’re okay with this being a pants-optional zone right now.” Kay smirked as she opened the door. Despite Maru’s initial impression, the farmer was wearing a pair of skin-tight boy shorts of similar material to Kay’s bra. Luna mewed at the women before slipping out of the open door, and Kay closed it. “So, what’s up?”

Maru turned and offered a folded letter to Kay. “Abby and Haley sent me over with this, I don’t know what’s in it.” The paper was labeled _Kay – Private_.

“Okay,” Kay said, accepting the letter. “Take a seat.” She gestured to the room at large. Maru chose to sit on the bed as Kay pulled a chair out.

“We were hanging out at the Saloon, and I told Abby about our hanging out yesterday, I didn’t want to hide that from her.”

Kay grimaced. She should have told Abby as well, but hadn’t gotten the chance to see her that day. “What happened?”

“She was really sweet about all of it, we had a really nice talk actually. Then we talked about other things, and then Haley and Abby gave me that and asked me to deliver it to you.”

As Kay opened the letter, two smaller folded pieces of paper fell out of it, one labeled for her and the other for Maru. She placed them on the table and read the letter silently:

_Kay,_

_We’ve known each other for a very short time, and we have a lot of things we need to talk about concerning our relationship. I was hoping I could come over tomorrow and we could spend some time talking about what we want out of this, what expectations we have, things like that. I really think we’d get a lot out of it, and I want to put the work in to make sure this is something we both want. You’re utterly amazing, and the feelings I have for you are huge and scary and wonderful. I don’t know where any of this is going, but I want to explore it with you as far as possible._

_Please come by tomorrow when you can and let me know if and when you’d like to talk. Until then, know that I love you and that I hope you have a great time tonight._

_Love,_   
_Abby_

_P.S: TELL ME EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS_

Kay was a little awestruck by the maturity on display in Abby’s letter. Of course, Kay wanted to have those discussions with her, and Abby was clear that she wanted to make the time rather than wait for the time.

“Did either of them tell you what was in this?” Kay asked. Maru shook her head.

“Abby said something about having a serious talk, but other than that, no.”

Kay placed the letter on the table and turned to the smaller enclosures. “One for you, one for me.” she said, handing Maru’s to the young woman. “Should we open them together?”

“I guess,” Maru said, shrugging. They both opened the letters and started reading. Kay’s was again written by Abby:

 _WE, the undersigned, do hereby grant Kaylia Gardner full permission to spend a complete evening with Maru Wright; that we expect them to enjoy the full benefits of each other’s company,_ _which would include but by no means be limited to talking, cuddling, kissing, massaging, nibbling, licking, sucking, and making love until the hours have faded and the sun rises to greet them in the morning; that we expect full disclosure of their activities; and that future grants of additional such evenings with Miss Wright and possibly others will be considered in due course._

_*signed*_   
_Abigail Chandler_   
_Haley Carter_

“Holy shit,” Kay murmured. Maru was similarly shocked by her letter, based on the loud gasp and subsequent giggling. Kay held out her enclosure to Maru. “Trade?”

“Oh yeah!” Maru said. Maru’s letter was clearly written by Haley, based on both the handwriting and the... difference in linguistic style:

_WE, the undersigned, do hereby grant Maru Wright full permission to have her brains fucked out by Kaylia Gardner; that we expect them to get naked, make out, and bang until they are completely drained; that Maru suck at least one load out of Kay’s girlcock and share it with her, which is fucking hot; that Kay show Maru’s ass the same loving attention she showed mine that one time; that they give us a complete play-by-play afterwards, sparing no details and preferably while we go down on them; and that we TOTALLY all get together sometime and set Kay’s greenhouse on FIRE (not actually on fire)._

_*signed*_   
_Haley Carter_   
_Abigail Chandler_

“Yeah, this isn’t surprising at all,” Kay said.

“Haley and nuance don’t really go together, do they,” Maru said, only slightly distracted by the romance inherent in Abby’s interpretation.

“So,” Kay said, “what do you think?”

Maru looked up at Kay, biting her lip. “We have permission.”

“That we do.”

“You want to?”

“I do. Do you?”

“I do. Wanna make out?”

“Goddess, yes.”

*****

“So,” Sebastian said, “she would have taken ten minutes to walk there, give Kay a minute to put a shirt on and open the door, another two minutes to exchange pleasantries, ‘hi!’ ‘hi!’, maybe five minutes for Maru to explain herself, another five for Kay to read your letter,” he indicated Abby, “then _another_ five to read the affidavits.”

Sam wrote down the numbers and did some quick temporal math. “Okay, so, 28 minutes.”

“And Maru left here 45 minutes ago,” Haley added.

“So, what, you think they’re boning down already?” Sam asked.

“At least.” Haley replied. “Kay’s got a hair trigger right out of the gate, I’m guessing Maru’s already had one snack and that got them both ready for the main event, part one of many.”

“No way, no one’s that fast,” Sebastian objected, “They’re on second base and they’re going to stay there for a while. They’d have to, their second bases are huge.”

Abby smirked. “Guys, I totally get that you might not know much about Kay as a lover, but this is Maru we’re talking about. She’s a hopeless romantic, and so is Kay. Right now, they are taking their time making out, possibly discussing steampunk fiction in between tongue sucking sessions.”

*****

Maru screamed as Kay’s tongue drove her to indescribable bliss. The elven goddess was firmly entrenched between Maru’s thighs and licking her to a powerful orgasm. Maru’s flavor was sweet and luscious, and Kay took her time licking and sucking Maru’s clit and nether lips, drowning them in attention. Maru could feel the heat from Kay’s crimson eyes bearing down on her as she drove her tongue into Maru’s pussy, sending her over and being rewarded with a flood of Maru’s nectar. Kay stayed where she was as Maru’s body rocked through her climax. As it subsided, Kay slowly crawled up along Maru’s body, stopping to suck on one of her massive H-cup breasts before drawing Maru into her arms and kissing her deeply. They kissed for a while, caressing each other as their tongues sparred in their mouths.

Maru reached down between them to stroke Kay’s rock-solid member, then slowly guided it down to the opening of her channel. They locked eyes as Maru nodded silently, and Kay pushed her hips forward, driving her cock into Maru’s pussy. They both gasped as the sensation rocked through them both, deep and filling for Maru, warm and soft for Kay. Maru reached to grab Kay’s hips and pull her deeper, and Kay slowly complied. Maru sighed in bliss when Kay bottomed out, and she wrapped her arms around Kay and kissed her deeply.

“This is crazy,” Maru said, and they both started giggling.

“You feel amazing,” Kay said. She leaned in to kiss Maru’s neck, their tits squeezing and rubbing together to add another layer of pleasure to their coupling. Maru held Kay’s head in place there as Kay started thrusting in a slow, easy rhythm. Maru learned to roll her hips in time with Kay, the additional motion enhancing the act further. Kay eventually lifted her head to capture one of Maru’s tits in her mouth, sucking on the large nipple and getting a deep moan from Maru in response.

“Are you close?” Maru asked. Kay nodded. “Please, let me taste it.”

Kay pulled out and stood up while Maru readjusted herself, swinging around and wrapping her lips greedily around Kay’s cock. Kay moaned wildly as Maru sucked, and it wasn’t long before Kay erupted. Maru’s mouth filled with jets of cum, mixed with Maru’s own nectar, and she happily swallowed as much as she could. Kay eventually dropped to her knees and kissed Maru deeply, the redhead sharing her creamy reward with her silver-haired lover.

They returned to the bed and played with each other’s breasts as Kay recovered. They moaned together as they kissed, sucked, and massaged the massive orbs. Maru especially loved having her boobs lavished with attention, but didn’t mind when Kay paused as Maru indulged her own love of Kay’s chest. She flicked Kay’s purple nipples with her tongue before sucking them into her mouth and kneading them gently with her teeth. It wasn’t long before Maru felt Kay’s hardening cock resting against her thigh, and she reached down to stroke it slowly.

When she was ready, Maru crawled on top of Kay and kissed her, carefully guiding Kay’s girlcock back to her soaked cleft. She sat back, moaning as Kay filled her once again, taking her to the hilt. Kay leaned up to suck on Maru’s nipples, and the redhead’s moans turned to screams as she rocked her hips against her lover. Kay’s lips on her sensitive nipples combined with their coupling to drive Maru absolutely wild, and it wasn’t long before she rode Kay through another orgasm. She slowed the pace of her gyrations as it washed over her, the feeling of closeness so beautiful and warm. Somehow, Kay seemed to be getting bigger inside her, and Maru realized Kay was approaching a second climax of her own. She found herself recovering quickly, and she leaned down to kiss Kay. Their tongues danced as she continued to ride Kay.

“Please,” Maru whispered, “I want it inside me.”

Kay screamed, the lewd suggestion setting her off. Maru felt Kay’s cock pulse, and as Kay’s issue flooded her core, Maru shivered with pleasure. They continued kissing as Kay’s climax subsided, wrapping their arms around each other and savoring their deep connection. They started giggling as they felt the gooey mess they’d made start to leak out but otherwise remained as they were, kissing and cuddling, losing themselves in each other’s eyes.

“You’re amazing,” Maru said.

“So are you,” Kay replied.

The romantic respite didn’t last long, and they soon found themselves cleaning each other off with their mouths in a passionate 69. Kay eagerly lapped up the mess she’d made of Maru’s cleft as Maru sucked Kay’s girlcock as deeply into her mouth and throat as she could. They took their time exploring each other as they licked and sucked. Kay figured out how much attention to give Maru’s clit before it became too intense, backing off as Maru tensed up. Maru, meanwhile, found that Kay loved being sucked and jerked at the same time, pausing her head bobbing to lick and tease the head as she stroked the shaft. She stopped altogether when Kay slipped two fingers into her pussy and gently massaged her spot, sending her screaming into another climax.

Kay looked at Maru with a smirk as her orgasm began to recede. “I love how y-” Kay was cut off as Maru forced her on her back and promptly wrapped her breasts around Kay’s cock. She was struck dumb by how amazing Maru’s tits felt, soft and welcoming, a perfect match to her lover’s mouth. Maru grinned as she fucked Kay with her tits, dropping her head to suck on the exposed portion of Kay’s dick as her boobs rose and fell around it. The suddenness of the lewd act coupled with the amazing sensation made short work of Kay’s stamina, and Maru’s face disappeared into her own cleavage as she swallowed Kay’s pole to claim her prize.

“FUCK!” Kay screamed as she exploded down Maru’s throat. They moaned together as Kay’s body rocked, her hips thrusting with every jet of cum Maru sucked out. Hands ran through her hair as she milked Kay for every last drop, hands that then grabbed her by the ears and gently pulled her up to Kay’s face for another searing kiss.

“You were saying?” Maru asked as they rested in a serious afterglow, her head against Kay’s chest.

“That was ridiculous,” Kay exhaled. She stroked Maru’s hair, completely satisfied. That was three girls now that could do that, and she had known two of them for only a week.

“You’re trouble,” Maru said, “I think I could suck on you forever.”

“Same.” Kay giggled. “I am so glad we’re both orally fixated, holy shit.”

Maru giggled along with Kay. “So, just so you know, I’m on birth control, in case you were worried about making me super pregnant.”

Here was a subject Kay hadn’t planned on discussing. “I’m not, actually. I’m sterile.”

Maru looked at Kay with concern. “Oh no, I’m sorry!”

Kay shrugged. “I’m not. It means I can flood your pussy whenever you want.”

“Was it intentional?” Maru asked, before backtracking. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.”

“It’s absolutely fine,” Kay replied, “no secrets, remember? Yeah, the wizards decided we shouldn’t be able to knock anybody up, which is a weird stipulation for a massive eugenics project. Ven and I are sterile, Rose and Thal are barren, but I’m not sure about Z and Astria.”

“You think Z could shapeshift around it?”

“Possibly, though there’s likely some enchantment that enforces sterility regardless of what form she takes.”

“What about Astria?”

“I don’t know that she even has genitalia, to be honest. She’s the advisor, it wouldn’t surprise me if the wizards leaned into the eunuch trope for her. She’s never been very interested in intimacy as far as I know.”

Maru hugged Kay a little tighter. “Would you ever want to have children? Through adoption, maybe?”

Kay thought about it. “I don’t think so. Pretty sure I’m cool, crazy auntie material though.”

Maru laughed. “Come on, you wouldn’t want to be someone’s mommy?” she asked in a very childish voice.

“That is a completely different question,” Kay said, smirking. “And let’s be honest, I’d probably be daddy in that scenario.”

“Daddy, huh?” Maru liked where this was going. “You know Haley is going to take that and run with it, right?”

“Geez, that feels like a psychological minefield if ever there was one.”

They laid together in each other’s arms, quietly talking about whatever came to mind. Their lovemaking wasn’t finished by any means, and they drove each other to multiple climaxes as the night wore on, but they loved the quiet pauses in between sessions. They were still awake as the first rays of light began to wash over the farm and Maru took her leave. Kay watched her head up the mountain road, thoroughly entranced by the young woman. Luna hopped up on the porch railing next to her.

“Good morning, mistress! Did you have a good evening?”

“I did,” Kay replied, “as if you didn’t know.”

“Mistress!” Luna replied in shock. “I would never eavesdrop on lovers in the throes of passion! How rude!”

“The amount of racket you two made last night, she didn’t have to,” Zeus snarked from his roost. Kay found herself blushing.

“Hey, when you begged Maru to suck out your soul, could she actually have done that?” Apollo asked, appearing suddenly at the edge of the cabin’s roof.

Kay narrowed her eyes at the raven. “We are not having this conversation, and I have work to do.” She turned and entered the cabin in search of clean clothes. Luna gave Apollo a quizzical look.

“Did you think that could happen?” she asked.

Apollo smirked (as much as a raven could, anyway). “Of course not, I wasn’t hatched yesterday. It definitely sounded like Maru was trying her best, though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parties interested in learning more about the British progressive rock band National Health would be well-advised to seek out "Tenemos Roads", the lead track of their debut album. It may be found on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1X--jwJhFQ


End file.
